


Blessings of the Fire Seed

by N1ghtWr1ter, RaeDMagdon



Series: A Slight Miscalculation [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Against the Wall - Freeform, Blowjobs, Bondage, Breeding, Breeding Kink, Come Inflation, D/s, Dirty Talk, Doggy Style, Dubious Consent, Exhibitionism, F/F, Family Fluff, Fluff, Knotting, Missionary, Omegaverse, Oral Sex, Pregnancy, Pups, and that gives Ty Lee flashbacks, that she has to deal with, they just have to fuck at a fertility festival, tyzula babies, well they're both consenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-28
Updated: 2017-09-09
Packaged: 2018-11-06 03:54:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 40,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11028096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/N1ghtWr1ter/pseuds/N1ghtWr1ter, https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaeDMagdon/pseuds/RaeDMagdon
Summary: As Fire Lord Azula's mate, Consort Ty Lee is required to participate in an ancient Fire Nation ritual... one that brings back intense memories she isn't sure she's ready to revisit.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sequel to A Slight Miscalculation. It is less serious and more lighthearted than that work. Nevertheless, we hope you enjoy it. :D
> 
> Please follow us on tumblr @raedmagdon and @n1ghtwr1ter
> 
> We're two queer people fucking with heterosexist, misogynistic kinks like these and conquering/subverting them by making them our own. >3

**** "Azula,  _ please _ ..."

The broken note of need in Ty Lee's voice tugged at Azula's heart, but she didn't allow her rhythm to falter. She kept thrusting at the same pace, sucking at the tender spot where Ty Lee's throat joined her shoulder and hitching her mate's leg higher up around her waist. The practiced motion got her a little extra depth, and soon, Ty Lee was whimpering into her neck with every stroke.

_ Good. Everything is going according to plan. _

Although Ty Lee's influence had softened her considerably, Azula always had been, and always would be, manipulative—especially when it came to mating. With a few tugs, she could contort Ty Lee's limbs into fascinating shapes. Her hands could coax out all kinds of delicious reactions from the omega's body. Just by observing, she could discover the precise way to push Ty Lee right up to the edge. Hopefully, if she was lucky, she would be able to use those talents to get what she wanted. 

_ After all, Fire Lord Azula always gets what she wants. _

"Azula..."

When Ty Lee repeated her name, Azula finally allowed her hips to speed up. She pumped faster, letting the top of her knot nudge Ty Lee's entrance. It was the most delicious sort of torture, rubbing against clinging silk without quite pressing inside, but she knew Ty Lee was suffering even more.

"Please..."

Azula stopped trailing kisses along Ty Lee's neck, staring down at her face instead. It was twisted up in the prettiest way possible. Some of her apprehension faded to make room for a swell of pride. "Please what?" she asked, in the same syrupy, smug tone she used whenever she wanted to impress her superiority onto someone. She used it much more frequently with her advisers than her mate, but in this particular circumstance, she thought it was appropriate. "Please fuck you?"

Ty Lee squirmed beneath her.  _ “Yes!” _

Azula wasn't entirely surprised when both of Ty Lee's legs coiled further around her, shifting up until she could feel the omega's heels pressing into the middle of her back. She used the new angle to her full advantage, dragging the head of her cock along Ty Lee's sensitive front wall every time she rocked forward.

"Please knot you?" she purred, snapping her hips for emphasis. This time, Ty Lee screamed, and Azula’s shaft slipped a little further forward than intended. Her mate was dripping and open and  _ more  _ than ready to take her, and if she hadn't been concerned with other things, she would have seized the invitation.  _ Not yet _ , she told herself, drawing back reluctantly. _ You need her desperate before you broach the subject... _

Ty Lee moaned in disappointment, but managed to hiss out an answer—the same one she had given before. "Yesss..." Her eyes fluttered shut, and Azula allowed her smirk to spread. This was working better than she'd hoped.

"Please  _ breed _ you?" she taunted, leaning forward and lining up their lips in an almost-kiss. She would have run her hands over the flat, toned plane of Ty Lee's belly if their bodies hadn't been so entwined, but as it was, she had to settle for rutting a little harder.

That got her a yelp, as well as several greedy pulses from Ty Lee's inner walls. "Azula,  _ yes _ , please fuck me, please knot me, please..."

It was tempting, oh so tempting, to give in to her lover's pleas and sink inside. The effort of teasing Ty Lee so thoroughly had left Azula throbbing with the need for her own release, but she gritted her teeth, forcing herself to hold back a little longer. She started a shallow grind instead, making sure to catch against the swollen bud of Ty Lee's clit. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?" she muttered, letting their mouths graze just a little bit. "You're desperate for me to take you... so eager for me to claim you..."

Ty Lee whined in agreement, apparently beyond words.

Azula waited a beat, until the omega was trembling beneath her, and then lunged in for the kiss and the kill. "You're so ready for my knot that I doubt you would even care who was watching."

Ty Lee let out a harsh cry, her inner walls squeezing Azula’s shaft so tightly that she had to stop thrusting in order to keep from spilling her own release. Grunting at the effort, she rode out the contractions and leaned in, growling low and filthy in her mate’s ear:

“You’d take my knot and my come in front of the whole nation if I asked you to.”

Ty Lee screamed, arching so strongly beneath Azula that the tips of her breasts brushed against the alpha’s. With a final unsteady jerk of her hips, the Fire Lord sheathed her knot all the way inside of her mate. She groaned low as the omega’s entrance sealed around it, locking her in place and squeezing mercilessly. Ty Lee’s entire body was begging for her release, and Azula was in no mood to deny her. With what could only be described as a quiet roar, the first spurts of come flooded from the throbbing tip of her cock, filling the woman below her in warm splashes.

As the waves of her release broke, Ty Lee came even harder, her inner walls rippling around Azula’s cock and knot, massaging it powerfully and begging for—no,  _ demanding— _ more.  _ Spirits, she’s so hungry for it…almost as if she  _ wants  _ another litter, even though the ones we have are more than enough of a handful…  _ But she couldn’t keep her mind on her pups for long, not with Ty Lee wrapped around her. Ty Lee’s eyes were screwed shut in pleasure, her slim, beautiful body one taut line. Even as the force of their shared release made Azula see stars, she couldn’t help but reach out and brush her thumb along the soft skin of her mate’s throat until it came to rest on her mating mark.

_ My omega. My mate.  _ Mine.  _ And soon the whole nation will get to see… _

A wave of possessiveness rose up within her. Azula leaned in and replaced her thumb with her teeth, just shy of breaking the skin. The gesture of ownership made Ty Lee’s inner muscles ripple even harder. A moment later, her eyes snapped open, filled with an answering desirous light that made Azula shiver. Then Ty Lee’s teeth were at her own neck, closing softly over the mark there, and the alpha was lost.

It seemed as though their shared high might never end, but eventually it had to. Azula came back to herself, shaking and sweating in her mate’s arms, come still pumping from her cock as Ty Lee’s fingers stroked up and down the tense muscles of her back. She felt warm and heavy and content in the omega’s embrace, and the thought floated lazily through her mind:  _ Everything’s so good right now…maybe I should just tell her tomorrow… _

As though she could read Azula’s mind, Ty Lee’s drowsy voice reached her ears: “So, are you going to tell me what’s been bothering you, or do I have to make you?” Her tone was light and playful, but it made Azula tense up anyway.

“What makes you think there’s something bothering me?” She couldn’t help the defensive edge of imperiousness that her voice took on, but she let go of her hold on Ty Lee’s neck to pull back and give her mate an apologetic look. Ty Lee took it with nothing more than a raised eyebrow, and Azula let out an inner sigh of relief.

“You told me you had meetings with your counselors all day, but you burst in here just before lunchtime, right after I finally managed to get Izumi down for a nap. You practically threw me on the bed.” Azula wrinkled her nose, and Ty Lee laughed. “Not that I’m complaining, but I thought you were taking your Fire Lord duties a little more seriously these days.”

Azula cringed inwardly.  _ More than you know.  _ After a brief but intense battle between her head and her heart, she finally came to a decision. She couldn't keep Ty Lee in the dark about this forever. The midsummer solstice was only two weeks away, and it wouldn't be fair to spring the news on her mate too suddenly. "There isn't anything bothering me," she said, brushing aside a strand of Ty Lee's hair that had slipped free of her braid, "but there is something I have to tell you."

"You're pregnant," Ty Lee deadpanned, but her face only stayed serene for a moment before it cracked in a huge grin. "Don't worry, I'll help you raise the pups."

" _ No, _ " Azula scoffed with a roll of her eyes. "I'm trying to talk to you about something serious."

"Fine. You're running away with Mai. I guess that means I'll have to be the new Fire Lord..."

"Would you listen for one moment?"

"Or maybe—"

Azula let out a rumbling growl, nipping the base of Ty Lee's neck until the omega finally stopped trying to guess. A few more soft pulses rippled around the swell of her knot, but she managed to keep her hips still. If her rut started up again, the two of them would never be able to finish their conversation.

Once she was satisfied that Ty Lee was actually paying attention and that she had control of her instincts, Azula released her hold, placing a light kiss of apology over the small red mark she had left behind. "The reason I met with my counselors was to finalize plans for the Fire Lily Festival.”

Ty Lee's brow furrowed. "Why do you have to organize the festival this year? You've never done it before. It sounds like fun, but the Fire Lord has more important things to do than plan parties."

Azula sighed. With a few notable exceptions—including the one they had just been engaged in—she and Ty Lee had vastly different ideas about what 'fun' entailed. "This year is different," she explained, trying to ignore the slightly queasy feeling in her stomach. "Every quarter-century, the Fire Nation celebrates a certain ritual—"

"A ritual?" Ty Lee repeated. Her face had brightened again, and by the slight quivering in her body, Azula could tell her usual excitable energy had returned. “You mean the Dance of the Fire Seed? Because I’ve been looking forward to seeing that ever since I was a pup.”

Somehow, Ty Lee’s enthusiasm only made Azula’s heart sink lower. “No. This is something else, although I suppose they’re related, since they do take place on the same schedule.”

"Then what kind of ritual is it?"

"Be quiet for a moment and I'll tell you," Azula insisted, torn between fondness and annoyance. Those were two feelings Ty Lee had always been adept at drawing out of her. "It's a fertility ritual, an ancient tradition that's over a thousand years old..." Her voice trailed off, and for once, she actually found herself wishing Ty Lee would interrupt her again.  _ Wonderful. She finally stops talking, and I've lost my words. _

"Azula?"

She blinked at the sound of her name, gazing down into Ty Lee's warm brown eyes.

"Whatever it is, you can tell me. You know that, right?"

_ I know. I just wish I didn't have to. _ Ty Lee continued staring up at her expectantly, and at long last, Azula broke down. When she spoke again, her voice was low and resigned. "During the midnight celebration at the end of the festival, established couples mate to increase the number of healthy pups born the next year. Traditionally, the current Fire Lord and their mate are expected to... kick off the festivities."

She didn’t need to explain further. As she had feared, Ty Lee's body went stiff beneath hers. The omega's arms fell away rather than wrapping around her, and Azula suspected that if they hadn't been tied, her mate would have put a few inches of space between them. Worst of all was the way Ty Lee's smile disappeared. One moment, it took up most of her face. The next, it had vanished completely. "When you say 'kick off the festivities', you mean..."

Azula nodded once, uncertain what else to say.

"But why?" Ty Lee protested, her expression of disbelief rapidly shifting to one of anger. With her lips pressed tight together, she almost looked like she was pouting, but Azula knew better. The glint in Ty Lee's eyes was fearful. She had caused it herself in the past often enough to know.

"It's the way things are done."

"That's a stupid reason to keep a tradition. What if the Fire Lord or their mate doesn't feel like dropping their pants in front of a bunch of strangers? Watching us rut isn't going to magically make everyone else conceive. Besides, you and I have done our part to increase the Fire Nation population. We have three pups already—"

That was the other element of the ritual that she had been dreading having to explain to her mate. While she was already more than happy with the pups that they had—and, she had to admit, they were quite the handful, especially Izumi—the Fire Lord’s mate was expected to conceive from their…activities…during the festival. The result of their union was an augur for the next quarter-century’s yields, both in terms of harvest and in terms of population growth, according to tradition.

_ More like superstition,  _ Azula thought, a snarl twisting her upper lip. She had very little patience for this kind of thing, but she tolerated it because her subjects placed so much stock in it.

But it was even worse than that. If Ty Lee failed to bear her another litter, her own virility would be called into question. And while she hadn’t paid much attention during her history lessons as a pup—that had always been Zuko’s sort of thing—she thought she remembered hearing about a Fire Lord or two who had been quietly ousted as a result of protests that their inability to produce heirs made them unfit to rule.  _ Never mind that we already have three perfectly healthy, viable heirs, so my ability to do  _ that  _ has certainly been proven— _

“—listening to anything I’m saying?”

Azula blinked. The frown that creased Ty Lee’s usually cheerful features had darkened into something she recognized as dangerous. She would need to tread carefully, or she was going to wind up in a lot more trouble than she already was. “I’m sorry. I was just thinking about what my counselors told me about the ritual. There is more that we need to discuss—”

“ _ More?”  _ Ty Lee’s eyes flashed. “I’m actually more interested in what  _ you  _ told  _ them.” _

“I…didn’t really say anything,” she confessed with a wince. “They assumed I would go along with it, as my duty to the nation.”

“I see.” The omega’s voice had gone cold, colder than Azula had heard it in a long time, and she felt her heart sink. “Well, it looks like you’ll just have to stand up there and entertain your people yourself, because I’m not doing it.”

“Are you sure about that?” Azula said, lowering her voice seductively. “You did just come extremely hard when I was talking about it—”

“That doesn’t mean anything!” her mate burst out. “We were right in the middle of... and I didn’t think you were talking about something you’d actually want me to  _ do...” _

Tears welled in Ty Lee’s eyes, and Azula realized that it had been the exact wrong thing to say. Of course the omega would have terrible associations with public sex. While they’d never actually mated in front of others, she  _ had  _ barged in on her father’s war council and paraded Ty Lee in front of him, clothed only in the fresh evidence of her own potency. She hurried to comfort her mate, nosing under her jaw and pressing kisses along her throat. When she reached the bite mark, she set her lips against it and suckled gently.

The gesture had the intended effect. Ty Lee’s heaving sobs began to subside, but Azula knew that she had a long way to go in repairing the rift she had created between them—and even further still if she didn’t want to find herself like her mate had said, standing before her subjects with nothing but her cock in her hand.

She sighed, letting go of her hold and dusting a few more kisses along the omega’s neck. She had thought that telling Ty Lee about their duty to mate publicly before the entire adult population of the country in the middle of doing so privately had been the perfect plan, and had been very pleased with herself when she’d come up with it. But now she was being forced to reconsider her estimation of her own intelligence entirely.

_ No,  _ she thought,  _ this is just a setback. There must be a way to resolve my duty to my nation with my promises to Ty Lee. I just have to figure out how. _

* * *

"You're joking, right?"

Ty Lee paused in the middle of the garden path, glancing sideways to study Mai's face. The beta wore her usual mask of bored disinterest, and to a casual listener, her voice would have sounded flat and dull as well—but Ty Lee knew better. She and Mai had become close friends over the past several years, close enough for her to recognize the slight tinge of disgust and disbelief beneath the usual monotone. Although it was subtle, it was also unmistakable. Mai was angry on her behalf.

"I'm afraid not," she said, slumping down onto a nearby bench with a tired sigh of resignation. The royal gardens were beautiful this time of year, but for once, there weren't any other people out and about to enjoy them.  _ Everyone's probably busy preparing for the festival,  _ Ty Lee thought, trying to ignore the queasy feeling in her stomach. _ I guess they think they'll have more interesting things than flowers to look at soon... _

"And what did you say to her?" Mai didn't take the opposite side of the bench, choosing to remain in a defensive posture instead and folding her arms across her chest. "Did you tell her you weren't going to humiliate and degrade yourself in front of all those people?"

Ty Lee let her shoulders slump. "Of course I did... not that I had to. Azula already knew I wouldn't like the idea. That's why she was trying so hard to sweet talk me into it." Her face flushed as she remembered Azula's methods of persuasion, and she wasn't sure whether it was with annoyance, embarrassment, arousal, or all three. "Anyway, we didn't really resolve anything. I told her I didn't want to do it, and then we just kind of... stopped talking."

Mai's tepid expression tightened—just a little bit. "She didn't order you to do it? Now, that surprises me."

"It shouldn't," Ty Lee said, lifting her head. Her brow furrowed, and she sat up a little straighter. "Trust me. I know better than anyone how selfish and entitled Azula can be, but she wouldn't do that."  _ At least, not anymore...  _ A brief shudder raced down her spine as old memories stirred within her mind, and she did her best to shove them back down where they belonged. Despite the passing of the years, thinking about the circumstances under which she and Azula had met still wasn't easy.

"She is very different now than she was before Zuko and I ran away," Mai admitted, only a little grudgingly. "Your influence, I expect."

"Maybe," Ty Lee murmured. Eager to do something with her hands, she turned toward the white flowering shrub growing alongside the bench, toying with one of its blossoms. The scent of jasmine teased her nose, and she plucked it without thinking, bringing the flower closer to her face. "I just wish I knew what to do. She won't force me, but if I don't go along with it, she's the one who'll have to pay the price."

Beside her, Mai let out a dry, humorless chuckle. "You have to admit, it is ironic. When she was growing up, Azula wanted nothing more than to be Fire Lord. She thought it meant she would get to make the rules instead of following them. Now..."

Ty Lee gave Mai a weak smile. "I know. She has more rules to follow than she ever did as the Princess." Her expression faded almost instantly, and she began twisting the stem of the jasmine blossom between her fingers. "And everyone expects me to follow them with her. This is why I didn't want my sire to marry me off to some noble alpha. I knew it would come with a lot of stupid expectations."

"Why do you think I made Zuko run away with me?" Mai drawled. "You wouldn't catch me dead being the Fire Lord's consort, pregnant every other year, hanging on his arm like a trophy, bending over and presenting for the good of the Fire Nation..."

"Please," Ty Lee said, braceleting Mai's wrist and pulling her friend down onto the bench beside her. "Don't remind me."

Mai rolled her eyes, but she remained seated and allowed the contact, perhaps in a show of contrition. "Just tell Azula to tell her advisers to go knot themselves," she said as Ty Lee set about the task of weaving the jasmine blossom into her dark, gleaming hair. "If she told them she wanted to outlaw the traditional orgy, none of them would dare question her. They're still terrified of her, even if you have dulled her fangs a little."

Ty Lee worried at her lip. She knew that Mai was right about Azula’s councilors, but they were the least of the Fire Lord’s worries. Azula was still new in her position, and while Ozai had been a tyrant, he had been very popular among the nobility that had benefitted from his conquests. That, combined with her relative youth, might not be enough to foment a rebellion, but if Azula started bucking traditions left and right, including one as important as the Fire Lily Festival, her enemies might decide to capitalize on that opportunity.

Finished with Mai’s hair, she found herself considering how the festival might play out if Azula were to, as her friend had so eloquently put it, tell them to go knot themselves. It certainly wouldn't be necessary to cancel the whole thing. The festival ran every year without the quarter-century fertility ritual, and it would still bring thousands of people flocking to the capital to take in the parade and performances and circus shows, culminating in the event’s crown jewel: the Dance of the Fire Seed.

The elegant name was deceptive. It was, in fact, a cutthroat competition. Troupes from all of the nation’s rural regions trained rigorously in the event’s unique discipline, a high-speed fusion of dancing, acrobatics, and firebending, in order to compete just once every twenty-five years. The prize was the Fire Seed, presented by the Fire Lord herself, which was said to ensure the winning village’s fertility and prosperity for the next quarter-century.

Ty Lee had never seen the performance herself, but older members of her circus troupe had spoken of it with reverence. Before this morning’s revelations of what her duties were expected to be, she had been looking forward to seeing the competition with great excitement.

Now, though…it seemed like all she could think about was the potential consequences of Azula changing the festival. The Dance of the Fire Seed was often fierce, but it didn't involve bloodshed—usually. With the nation still getting used to its new Fire Lord, Ty Lee could unfortunately imagine the contest getting ugly. Dueling troupes might detect a slight at the hands of another and lash out, and what was supposed to be ritualized combat would turn into an all-out brawl. She envisioned the dancers breaking off their routines to start fighting in earnest, the air under the vast tent suddenly filled with fire and screams. She imagined Azula roaring out orders furiously as the entire vast tent caught flame, and spectators scrambling to escape before the whole thing collapsed…

She let out a breath, realizing abruptly that she had made her decision. “I’m going to consider it,” she said firmly.

“Wait,  _ what?  _ I thought we were just talking about how incredibly idiotic this whole thing is—”

“It is,” Ty Lee agreed, “but it’s going to be worse if I… if we… don’t go through with it. But I’m going to need some promises before I agree to anything.” Mai just stared at her, apparently at a loss for words. Ty Lee stood, seizing her friend’s hand. “Come on. Let’s go talk to the Fire Lord.”


	2. Chapter 2

"Let me make sure I understand," Azula said, disdain dripping from every word. Her nose crinkled in unconcealed disapproval, her eyes narrowing as she glared at the cowering herd of advisers kneeling before her. "According to  _ tradition _ , I'm supposed to spend inside some disgusting golden pot, offer it to the winners of the competition as the 'grand prize', and let them fling it out across a rice paddy in the middle of nowhere?"

Her first adviser—an older, pudgy man with an unfortunate bald patch—cringed in his spot beside the table, unable to meet her eyes. "I—I'm afraid so, My Lord. It's supposed to ensure a bountiful harvest..."

" _ Really _ ?" Azula snarled, her upper lip curling over her teeth. "Even peasants can't be stupid enough to believe in something so utterly ridiculous!"

Her fury had an obvious effect. All of her advisers flinched in unison, pulling back from the flaring force of her scent and her chi. "I'm... I'm not sure they actually  _ believe _ it, Fire Lord Azula," her second adviser said. He had a round potato of a nose and shifty looking eyes. "But it is traditional. The previous Fire Lord—"

Azula felt the sudden urge to retch. Those were mental images she most certainly did not need. She knew all too well how badly her father had mistreated her mother. She was sure the Fire Lily Festival had been no exception.

"The previous Fire Lord is in no position to offer his opinion.  _ I _ am Fire Lord now, and  _ I _ am telling you that this 'tradition' is the most foolish thing I have ever had the misfortune of hearing about."  _ Well, perhaps the second most foolish thing. The public spectacle itself is even worse, if a bit less disgusting. _

But she didn't have time to worry about it at present. She and Ty Lee still hadn't come to any sort of agreement, and simply thinking about it made her angrier. Instead, she rounded on a third adviser, a dark-haired female beta who was slightly younger than the others. It was rare for anyone other than an alpha to become an adviser to the Fire Lord, but thanks to Ty Lee's influence, Azula had tried to broaden her horizons. The woman had been a personal selection instead of a relic from Ozai's old regime.

"What about you?" she snapped, locking gazes with the nervous-looking woman. "Aren't you going to try to talk me into this travesty as well?"

The beta shook her head from her kneeling position. "I like my skin unblistered, Your Highness." She cleared her throat. "Besides, if your, um...  _ potency _ was truly capable of ensuring a bountiful harvest, the palace would be overgrown by now."

Instead of taking offense, Azula snorted.  _ At least one of these idiots has a sense of humor.  _ "So, you agree with my decision to dispense with this joke of a ritual?"

The beta worried her lip. "Refusing to grant the winners their grand prize might cause unrest. The villages have trained their representatives from childhood to participate in the Dance. It's a matter of pride for them."

And pride was, of course, something that Azula understood. "I see no reason to cancel the competition itself," she said, turning away from the table with a careless wave of her hand.  _ Besides, Ty Lee would probably hate me for it more than she already does.  _ "Just find something else to award them. What do farmers like, anyway? Hippo cows? Give them a herd of those. Surely that would be more useful to them."

Her first adviser, the one with the bald head, let out an indignant noise. Azula’s glare snapped to him, and he dipped his head immediately—but she was already stalking toward him, fingers twitching into fists. “Is there a problem with my idea?” She let her chi flare up against his and was gratified to feel the other alpha’s quail immediately. She had to hold back a very undignified snort of laughter. _ He’ll probably be shriveled up like a seahorse ray for the next three weeks. Not that he was getting much use out of it anyway. I don't know how his mate can stand to look at him. _

The sudden reminder that she was not exactly in her own mate’s good graces soured her mood a moment later, however. “I asked you a question,” she said, voice dipping into a low, dangerous growl. Her adviser was shaking, and all he could manage was a whimper.  _ What a pitiful excuse for an alpha. Why do I even bother having such creatures on my council?  _ “I expect an answer. Now.”

“Your Majesty, while I am certain that a gift of livestock would be a welcome present to the victors, the loss of the traditional prize would very likely be considered a terrible blow, and quite shaming to the contestants who must return to their villages without its assurance of fertility,” said the female beta whose answer had impressed her before. Azula’s glare snapped to her, but the woman only met her eyes with a demurely lowered head.

While the submissive behavior would have calmed Azula’s ire in another situation, right now it only stoked it. She wanted to lash out, but she knew that the comment, and the display of deference that followed it, had been not only appropriate, but correct. While she wanted her advisers to view her with a healthy dose of fear, she didn't want them to be afraid to offer intelligent suggestions. 

Seething, she stalked back to the head of the table and dropped onto her own cushion with a huff. There didn't seem to be an end to the humiliations she was going to have to endure for the sake of her family’s stupid traditions, and she still hadn't thought of what she was going to say to Ty Lee.  _ What is there to say? It’s my own fault. I was the one who traumatized her, and I won't do it all over again. If it means unrest, I'll weather it…but I'm never going to force her into something like this. Not again. _

The fight went out of her in a rush, leaving her abruptly exhausted. She opened her mouth to tell her councilors to leave, she couldn't stand to see their faces for even a second longer, but then the door to the antechamber opened, revealing one of her guards with a nervous expression on his face. Even before he'd finished apologizing for interrupting her, but the Royal Consort and Lady Mai were without, requesting an audience, the Fire Lord was waving them in.

“And the rest of you, get out,” she snapped. “We will reconvene after the midday meal.” They rose from their knees and filed out of the room through a side door, nearly tripping over one another in their haste to get away, but she hardly noticed them. She only had eyes for the slim, lithe omega who was entering the room.

When Azula had realized, following Ty Lee’s victory in her agni kai with her father, that some of the guards and household staff in her employ were more intimidated by her mate than they were by her, she had at first thought to be annoyed. That annoyance had become amusement the first time she noticed an alpha guard twice Ty Lee’s size and at least three times her weight snap to a quivering salute when she greeted him cheerfully.  She knew the servants whispered about the omega who had killed the previous Fire Lord and tamed the current one, and watching their reactions was priceless.

"Did you just come here to frighten my guards, Ty Lee?" she asked, raising her eyebrows in question. "Or did you drop by to say hello?"

Ty Lee gave her a soft smile, one that Azula couldn't help hoping was a sign of forgiveness. Before her mate could speak, Mai propped her hip against one of the columns. "Go on, Ty Lee," she drawled, with an entirely lackluster wave of her hand. "Tell her."

"If this is about the fertility ritual, you needn't worry," Azula said, gazing past Mai and fixing her eyes on Ty Lee directly. "I'll tell my advisers we won't be participating... on a day when I haven't already worn through my limited amount of patience."

"Really?" Ty Lee asked, brightening considerably. It was as if the sun had risen on her face and Azula felt some of her annoyance dissolve. She couldn't remain angry when her mate was gazing at her with such grateful adoration.

"Of course." She rose from her kneeling position at the head of the low table, closing the distance between them. "I'm the Fire Lord. My advisers might complain, but I make the laws."

Ty Lee tugged her lower lip between her teeth, and Azula watched in surprise as a flush colored the points of her cheeks. "I appreciate that, really, but I know it isn't that simple. Even the Fire Lord needs to follow the rules sometimes."

"Not when they're stupid rules," Azula insisted. "It's a good thing you and Mai interrupted when you did, because those idiots were trying to convince me to come inside some special golden pot and present it as the grand prize for their stupid competition."

Ty Lee looked startled at first, but only for a moment. Soon, she burst into a fit of giggles, cupping her hand over her mouth. Mai was not nearly so amused. She groaned, a response Azula completely sympathized with. "Seriously, Azula? You're fine with rutting in front of the entire palace, but jerking off into a cup is where you draw the line?"

"I've already said I wasn't going to make Ty Lee do the ritual," Azula insisted. "Besides, coming inside your mate is natural. Dumping it in a pot and handing it over like a trophy is pretentious, even for me."

Mai rolled her eyes. "I'll add that to the list of things I never thought I'd hear you say."

Ty Lee had finally managed to get her giggling fit under control, although her face still scrunched up from time to time with the effort. "So... your come is magical now?" she said, her eyes dancing. "What is it supposed to do?"

"What can't the Fire Lord's magic seed do?" Mai said flatly. "Cure diseases, ensure a bountiful harvest..." A slight smirk appeared on her face as she turned toward Ty Lee. "Every orifice in your body is probably blessed."

Ty Lee had to cover her mouth again to keep from bursting out into fresh laughter. "I don't see what's so special about it. I get a taste almost every night."

"Oh, shut up," Azula snapped. "It isn't too late for me to banish both of you before the Festival starts."

While her words and the dark tone in which they were delivered would ordinarily have been enough to quiet an entire roomful of chattering nobility, they only made Mai and Ty Lee laugh harder. With a huff, Azula stalked back to her throne and sat, arms crossed over her chest. Despite her display of irritation, however, she was far from truly angry. Ty Lee’s laughter was something she treasured, even when it was at her expense. The enjoyment she derived from it was somewhat bittersweet, however—it also came with a reminder of how rare it had once been. 

_ Could she really have meant…? _ Azula wondered.  _ No, there’s no way. She would never be willing to mate with me in public. Not after what I made her do. _ But her image of Ty Lee’s face, panicked and streaked with tears and drying ribbons of come, was abruptly replaced by the real thing. Her mate had her hands on the arms of Azula’s throne and was leaning towards her. 

“May I interrupt?” 

Azula rolled her eyes but couldn’t help leaning the rest of the way in to give her mate a soft kiss. “Would it matter if I said no?”

“Probably not,” the omega teased, but her eyes soon became serious. “I know how important the Fire Lily Festival is to the kingdom, and how much your traditional role matters to your position as Fire Lord.” 

“It doesn’t matter to your position as consort,” Azula started to say, but Ty Lee cut her off with a finger pressed to her lips. 

“I have an interest in making sure the current Fire Lord keeps her throne for a while,” her mate said, voice dropping lower. Azula knew what Ty Lee was doing; she’d done it often enough during the time that they’d been mated. But she couldn’t help herself—it was working. She could feel her cock twitch at the tone of the omega’s voice, at her nearness, at her scent.

“The least I can do is consider the possibility, for both our sakes.” 

Azula couldn’t help it; her jaw dropped and her cock began to swell. She shut the former quickly, but there was nothing she could do about the latter, and she knew by Ty Lee’s smirk that her mate had definitely noticed. A low growl rumbled through her chest, but Ty Lee just raised an eyebrow. Azula let out a tense sigh. 

“I couldn't ask you to do that.”

“Well, ignoring the fact that you already did,” Ty Lee said, “you're not asking. I'm telling you that I'm going to try. This is my choice. If I can’t do it...” She took a deep breath. “We’ll cross that bridge when it comes. I trust you.”

Azula was torn between arousal and trepidation. Half of her wanted to snarl and seize Ty Lee and have her right on the floor of the throne room, but the other half was still stuck on all of the ways in which it could go wrong.

“But I have some conditions.”

"Oh?" Azula’s heart had picked up speed in her chest, and not just due to Ty Lee's nearness. She had few defenses against her mate's soft brown eyes. "And what are they?"

"I can always ask you to stop," Ty Lee said immediately, with a note of finality in her voice, “and the final decision about whether we’re doing this or not is mine.”

Azula nodded. That went without saying. They had clawed their way from an ugly, abusive relationship formed at Ozai's whim to a healthy one based on love and mutual respect, and she had no intentions of backsliding. She had pushed past Ty Lee's boundaries more than enough for one lifetime, and what she had done still haunted her. "And?"

At her raised eyebrows, Ty Lee continued. "I don't want you to embarrass me, and I don't want you to come on me."

Once more, Azula inclined her head. She was sure that wouldn't be a problem—the entire point of the festival was to make sure Ty Lee conceived, after all—but she understood her mate's reasoning. Although Ty Lee had no objections to that particular act in private, the public dimension would probably add an extra layer of humiliation. She knew the incident that had taken place several years ago in this very throne room was one of Ty Lee’s worst memories.

"There is...something else,” Azula said, trying to keep her voice calm. The thought aroused her, more than she wanted to admit even to herself, but those feelings faded quickly in the face of guilt. “My advisers inform me that restraints are a crucial part of the ritual, but if you’re uncomfortable...”

“I don’t know,” Ty Lee said, eyes darkening with ghosts. “I need to think about it.”

There was an awkward pause.

“Are there any more surprises I should know about?” Ty Lee asked with a slightly uneasy laugh.

"I have no idea. I haven't done this before either." A scowl of disgust flitted across Azula’s face as she added reluctantly, "According to my advisers, Ozai fulfilled these duties at the last festival." It was a mental image she didn't need, and not just because of her hatred for her father.

"Well, you need to figure it out. If I'm going to try this with you, I want to know everything in advance." Ty Lee paused, her face lighting up with the beginning of an idea. "Maybe we should practice? You know, block it out beforehand, like a routine?"

Azula's dark thoughts evaporated, replaced by much happier mental images. Practice. That certainly sounded promising. "I could be convinced," she said, her face melting back into a smile. "Not that I think the two of us  _ need _ to practice mating, but..."

"Ugh," Mai said, still braced sulkily against the column. "If I'd known the two of you were just going to flirt, I would have gone to check on Zuko and the pups."

"That reminds me," Ty Lee said. “What are we going to do about the pups? I'm assuming children aren't welcome at this part of the festival."

"Definitely not," Azula said. "I suppose we could ask Zuko to babysit. He would probably prefer that to watching the two of us rut anyway... and so would I. I already know far too much about my family's sexual history thanks to this stupid festival."

Ty Lee nodded. “And Zha Xi loves him. I mean, all of them do, but whenever he visits she’s suckered to his side like an octopus.”

Azula rolled her eyes. “Well, I suppose there’s no accounting for taste.”

“I’m still here, you know,” Mai said to the ceiling. “His  _ mate _ …”

“The same goes for you.”

Ty Lee’s scent betrayed a brief flicker of annoyance before it became something altogether more soothing, and Azula let out a sigh. She knew what her mate was thinking—that discussing how they were going to get through this idiotic tradition together was much more pressing than her having another tiff with Mai—and she knew that Ty Lee was right.

“So…how do you propose we  _ practice  _ for this event?” she said, returning her attention to her mate’s soft brown eyes. They were still serious, but if she wasn’t mistaken there was a flicker of desire in them also.

Ty Lee worried at her lip, but her frown was more of concentration than concern. “Well…I don’t think I’ll be comfortable with mating in front of a bunch of people I don’t know. Not right away.”

Azula caught her gist. “But you might be able to work up to it.”

Ty Lee nodded. “I’m just…not sure how.”

Azula wasn’t sure either. How could you even practice for something like this? It wasn’t so much the act itself that they needed to train for—it was Ty Lee’s comfort level that needed to be increased. She had said that she wasn’t comfortable fucking in front of people she didn’t know… Azula’s eyes flicked around the vast chamber as though she’d find some kind of answer there. And, in a sense, she did. When her gaze settled on Mai, who appeared to be radiating waves of concentrated boredom, her face split into a wicked grin.

“What about mating in front of someone you  _ do  _ know?”

Ty Lee frowned at her, then followed her gaze to where Mai was examining her nails. Azula was already laughing before her mate whirled back around to deliver a light smack to her shoulder, but it only made her laugh harder. After letting out a low huff to emphasize her displeasure, Ty Lee turned her back on Azula.  _ I doubt that had quite the effect she intended,  _ she mused, still smirking as she admired the shapely curve of the omega’s ass.

“Care to share your joke with the class, Azula?” Mai said, not bothering to look up.

Azula glanced at Ty Lee, who seemed to be coming around to the same sense of amusement. Stepping down from the platform, she went to join Mai. The beta’s eyebrows furrowed in suspicion as Ty Lee began whispering, rapid-fire, into her ear. Although she knew it was unworthy of her as Fire Lord, Azula couldn't help leaning closer, trying to catch some of their conversation. Unfortunately, all she could hear were Mai’s protests.

“What? No!”

More whispering.

“Ty Lee, you can't be serious!”

A few more whispered words, and then an emphatic gesture in Azula’s direction.

“Oh, come  _ on.  _ I told you that in confidence three years ago!”

Ty Lee just raised an eyebrow. Azula was one more bout of whispering away from climbing down from her throne and ordering her mate to tell her what they were talking about when Mai let out an uncharacteristic growl and clenched her fists. “First of all, I can't believe you're even considering doing this, and there is absolutely  _ nothing  _ you could say to convince me to—”

Azula abandoned all pretense of decorum, trying to get as close as she could without being observed. She arrived within earshot in time to hear Ty Lee say, “What if I told you you could bring a book?”

Mai let out the longest-suffering sigh possible. “Ugh,  _ fine.  _ But you owe me.”

“I’m the Fire Lord. Helping me should be a privilege.”

“Privilege my ass,” Mai muttered, but she seemed resigned to her fate. “Fine, I’ll help you. But right now, I’m leaving. Surely the two of you have other things to discuss.” She strode from the room, leaving Azula and Ty Lee alone in the large space.

Without Mai as a buffer, Azula wasn’t sure what to say. Rarely had she struggled so much to find the proper words.

“I meant what I said,” Azula said at last. “If you decide you don’t want to do this…”

“I know,” Ty Lee said, reaching out to take her hands. She held them gently, running her thumbs across Azula’s knuckles.

Azula shivered. She should be the one comforting Ty Lee, really. She pulled her mate into her arms, running a soothing palm down the middle of Ty Lee’s back.

“Your trust is the greatest treasure I have ever earned, Ty Lee. I won’t squander it.”

Silence fell again as they held each other, but this time, it wasn’t tense. The quiet was comforting.


	3. Chapter 3

**** “I can't believe Mai is going to watch us have sex,” Ty Lee mumbled, folding her arms around herself and holding tight to her own elbows. Even though it was the middle of summer, hot and humid enough to cause a fine layer of sweat to break out over her skin, she couldn't ignore the slight shivers coursing through her body. Her heart was hammering much faster than usual, and whenever she thought about the first ‘practice’ session she and Azula had tentatively scheduled for that evening, it picked up speed.

“Believe it,” Azula said, glancing in her direction as they made their way down the hall. “It was your idea in the first place.”

“It was  _ not, _ ” Ty Lee insisted, a little more emphatically than necessary. “You were the one who suggested it.”

“And you talked Mai into it. Somehow.” Azula gave her a small smile, tugging her arms down and taking one of her hands. “And people think I'm the manipulative one.”

“You were the one who tried to talk me into doing the ritual right as I was about to come,” Ty Lee said, sulking a bit. Her nerves were already on edge. “I'd say that's pretty manipulative.”

“And I've apologized.” Azula gave her fingers a soft squeeze in what Ty Lee interpreted to be an attempt at reassurance.

Ty Lee wasn't sure what else to say—Azula had apologized, and she knew she couldn't keep holding the mistake over her mate's head—but she was saved from responding when they arrived at their destination. Prince Zuko's door was closed, but she could hear high-pitched squeals coming from inside his rooms, and some of the stress melted from her shoulders as she heard an excited cry bleed through.

"Uncle Zuko! Higher!"

"No, me! Me next!"

Azula gave her a look, and the two of them shared a smile. "Should we interrupt? They seem to be enjoying themselves."

"They need to go to bed," Ty Lee said.

_ "We _ need to go to bed," Azula purred, her eyes half-lidded. "I'm sure they would love to spend the night with their favorite uncle."

Ty Lee shuddered, partially with desire, but also with an edge of fear. She worried her lip, gazing down at her feet. She couldn't deny that there was something... appealing... about the whole scenario, even if Mai's participation was grudging. But the butterflies in her stomach were a little too strong, and she wasn't sure which would win out—the tight ball of nerves in her chest or the low throb of heat between her legs.

"I can call it off, right?" she whispered, giving Azula a worried look. "We can do it another night, or..."

Azula nodded. "Of course." More loud shouts, this time of displeasure, came from inside the room, and she made a face. "But first, let's check on the pups. Zuko sounds like he has more than he can handle." She pushed open the door, stepping into Zuko's rooms without knocking.

The sight that greeted them made Azula smirk and Ty Lee burst into a fit of giggles. Zuko was on his knees on the rug, Zha Xi hanging from his neck and Izumi riding his back like a komodo rhino, squealing every time he bucked. Taizo was sitting to the side in Mai’s lap, watching all of the ruckus with a slight grin as he drew on the pages of a very expensive-looking atlas.

“Give in, traitor!” Izumi yelled, beating on her uncle’s back with all her four-year-old strength. “You will threaten the Fire Nation no longer!”

“Never!” Zuko bellowed, a bit strangled, as his alpha niece had her hands around his windpipe. “You’ll never take me alive!”

“That’s not a problem,” Zha Xi grunted, attempting to tighten her stranglehold. Zuko was turning a bit blue and seemed to have decided that it was time to call a halt to this particular game, but he couldn’t get the words out. He reached up in an attempt to dislodge Zha Xi, but a moment later Izumi seized his top knot and yanked on it— _ hard,  _ if the wince he betrayed was any indication.

“Much as I’m sure you’re enjoying this, remember that we need your brother alive,” Ty Lee murmured to her mate.

Azula let out a huff. “Oh, all right. I suppose we do need him to babysit the pups while we practice for our debauchery.” Grinning when she caught Zuko’s desperate glance, she clapped her hands twice. “All right, soldiers of the Fire Nation! A valiant effort, but the evil has been defeated, and it is now your bedtime.”

A chorus of groans rose up from all three—or, more accurately, four, as Izumi had punctuated her expression of disapproval with another hard tug of her uncle’s hair. “But Father, I’m not  _ tired!”  _ Izumi said, lip wobbling into a pout and eyes beginning to fill.

Ty Lee was well aware of her omega daughter’s prowess at catgator tears, however, and simply raised an eyebrow. “Maybe not, but you will be in about fifteen minutes, and then you’ll be very grumpy and sorry that you didn’t go to bed when your father told you to.”

The pup’s eyes narrowed shrewdly. “What if we went to bed in ten more minutes?” Her siblings nodded frantically in support. They had come to realize a while ago that their omega sister was the shrewdest negotiator of the three.

Azula matched her daughter’s expression, although Ty Lee could see the corners of her mouth twitching. “I suppose…but I need your most solemn promise that after those ten minutes are up, you will be in bed, with  _ no  _ complaints.”

Zha Xi saluted her. “We promise!”

“All right then,” Ty Lee said, smiling at her brood. “Now let go of Uncle Zuko.”

Zha Xi surrendered her hold on the older alpha and went running to her mother, thumping solidly into her knees for a hug before asking to be picked up. Reluctantly, Izumi released Zuko’s hair and slid off his back to make her way to Azula. With a long-suffering sigh, Taizo dropped his brush and climbed out of Mai’s lap, dragging his feet along the way. 

The three of them immediately began clamoring about what they had done that day, what their lessons had been, the sandwiches they’d eaten for lunch and the jelly tarts the cook had slipped them for dessert. After picking himself off the floor rather gingerly, Zuko joined them. “Is it too much to ask that you learn to knock?”

Azula smirked at him. “Why Zuzu, I only intruded out of concern for you,” she said sweetly. “You sounded like you were being overwhelmed by enemy forces.”

“And we were gonna beat him, too!” Zha Xi piped up, waving her tiny fist in the air.

Ty Lee laughed, balancing her daughter on her hip. “I’m sure you were all very brave.”

“Not me,” Taizo remarked offhandedly. “I was going to propose a diplomatic resolution, but these two barbarians attacked before I could.”

Ty Lee, Azula, and Zuko’s eyes all widened at the beta’s unusual vocabulary. Mai was the only one who looked unsurprised, reaching over to ruffle her nephew’s hair. “Did you like the book I gave you on Earth Kingdom economics?”

For the first time, Taizo betrayed a hint of enthusiasm. “Very much! It suggests that the whole Kingdom could be brought to ruin by the judicious application of—”

“Anyway,” Ty Lee murmured to Zuko under cover of her son’s chattering, “Azula and I had a favor to ask of you.”

"Oh?" Zuko gazed at her curiously, running a hand through his disheveled hair and trying in vain to fix his top knot. "What did you want to ask?"

Mai rose from her curled-up position, tucking her book beneath one arm and resting the other on Zuko's shoulder. "Later, Zuko, when little ears aren't listening."

Zuko gave Mai a curious look, clearly surprised that she knew more than he did, but he didn't get a chance to ask questions. Instead, Taizo spoke up. "She means us, doesn't she, Mother?"

Ty Lee nodded. She knew better than to try and deceive her son—he was perceptive beyond his years and wasn’t easily fooled. "Yes, but the three of you don't want to know  _ everything _ about the Fire Lily Festival, do you? It won't be any fun without a few surprises."

At the mention of surprises, three tiny faces lit up with excitement.

"Surprises?" Zha Xi asked, squirming to be set down. Ty Lee placed her back on the floor beside Izumi, who had begun tugging at the edge of Azula's robe.

"What kind of surprises? Tell us!"

"She can't," Taizo said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Then it wouldn't be a surprise."

"That's right," Azula said, shepherding the pups back toward Zuko's bedroom. "Your ten minutes are almost up. All three of you need to be in bed."

The pups began to protest until Izumi put the pieces together and realized where they were headed. "Does this mean we get to sleep in Uncle Zuko's room?" she asked, bouncing with enthusiasm.

Ty Lee caught Zuko's weary look, but Azula didn’t—or ignored it. "Yes, it does," she said, scooping Izumi up and placing the pup high on her shoulders. She took Zha Xi's hand with her right and Taizo's with her left, leading them off toward the bedroom as they continued chattering with excitement.

Once the children were out of earshot, Zuko pinched his forehead, heaving a long-suffering sigh. "She could at least ask first," he muttered as Mai rubbed her hand over his back.

"Good luck getting Azula to ask politely for anything," the beta drawled. Ty Lee had to snort in agreement. She still hadn't quite gotten over her hurt feelings from the day before, although she wasn't about to bring it up in front of her mate's brother.

"Speaking of which..."

"Right. The favor." Zuko folded his arms across his chest, waiting expectantly. "Just spit it out, Ty Lee. It'll probably be better coming from you anyway."

Ty Lee glanced toward the door, making sure Azula and their brood were well and truly gone before taking a deep breath and plunging forward. "Have any of the advisers spoken to you about the Fire Lily Festival? You know, the part that happens after all the children are in bed?"

Zuko's expression shifted to one of mild disgust. "Enough to know I don't want to be there. If you need me to babysit the pups again, I'm all for it. Anything to get out of watching Azula perform her 'royal duties'. I've never been so glad I was banished before I could become Fire Lord."

"I told you running away was a good idea," Mai said, the corners of her mouth twitching up in the subtlest of smirks.

"Wait,” Zuko said, his brow furrowing with concern, “Azula isn’t pressuring you into doing this with her, is she, Ty Lee? Because if she is—”

Ty Lee shook her head, eyes widening in surprise. “No! No, not at all. Azula wouldn’t do that. It’s just—well, I’m nervous. All those people are going to be watching, and I just thought…” She swallowed. No matter how long she dragged it out, telling him wasn’t going to get any easier. “The two of us need some practice.” She glanced past Zuko at Mai, who was giving her an expectant look. “Um, in front of an audience.”

Zuko glanced back and forth between her and Mai for a moment, frowning. Ty Lee was beginning to wonder whether she’d have to spell it out for him, when all of a sudden his eyes widened. He whirled to address Mai. “Wait a second…you're asking me if you can watch my sister and her mate  _ have sex _ ?” 

Mai rolled her eyes. “First of all, I'm not asking you anything. I'm  _ letting you know _ that I'm going to be present in the room while they're mating, as some kind of sexual healing therapy or whatever. And second, I will be paying as little attention as I possibly can, trust me.”

Zuko did not look particularly mollified. “Uh, I guess that’s…well…”

“A small price to pay for my generosity in letting you skip the festivities?” Azula said as she strolled around the corner, wearing a big smirk. Zuko whirled on his sister, hands curling into fists.

“You're only doing that because then you can make me watch the pups.”

“Oh, so you'd prefer to watch us rut on stage in front of half the nation?” Azula said innocently, taking hold of Ty Lee’s hips and pulling her back gently. The omega sucked in a breath. Azula was undoubtedly happy to see her, if the hardness her rear came into contact with was any indication.

“Are the pups asleep?” she asked before Azula could distract her further. Her mate nodded, tucking her chin over Ty Lee’s shoulder so she could better observe her brother’s reactions. 

“Passed out the moment their heads hit the pillows. Except for Izumi; I knew she was faking so I waited a few seconds after I left before going back in. I think she was planning to slip off to the kitchen for more of those jam tarts.” 

Ty Lee rolled her eyes fondly. “I think dessert may be her only weakness.”

Azula snorted. “Thank the spirits she  _ has _ a weakness.”

“Can we maybe get back to the issue at hand?” Zuko said, looking like that was the last thing he wanted to do. 

Azula shrugged nonchalantly. “I don't see that there’s any issue. You’ll be minding the pups and your own business, and Ty Lee and I will show your mate what she’s missing. We’ll return her to you by midnight.”

Zuko’s face was getting redder by the second, and Ty Lee planted an elbow firmly in her mate’s stomach before she could say anything worse that might make her friend change her mind about helping them. “I've decided I have a new condition,” she said, over Azula’s pained grunt. “No more teasing Zuko or Mai until this is over. They’re trying to help us.” 

Azula started to protest, but Ty Lee turned in her arms, fixing her with a hard look. The alpha slumped, looking remarkably like Izumi when someone took away her favorite toy. “ _ Fine _ ,” she sighed, “deprive me of all my fun…”

“Hopefully not  _ all _ your fun,” Ty Lee murmured, low, and watched Azula’s eyes light up with a dark gleam. She leaned in for a kiss, and despite the faint gagging sounds Ty Lee heard from Zuko, she allowed their lips to connect.

But when the kiss grew hungrier and she felt one of Azula’s hands creep around her hip to squeeze her ass, she cut it off. “Let’s continue this in our bedroom,” she said, giving her mate a tempting smile. 

“Yes,  _ please _ ,” Zuko groaned, looking revolted. Mai took pity on him and walked over to give him a light peck.

“I’ll see you later. Not too much, though—I highly doubt they can last until midnight.” 

Azula let out a low growl, starting to puff herself up, but Ty Lee gave her a firm shove in the direction of their room. “Bed. Now.” 

* * *

Unfortunately, leaving Zuko behind left Ty Lee even more unsettled than she had been before. As she, Azula, and Mai made their way back down the hall toward the Fire Lord's private chambers—with Azula's arm curled around her waist—her heart picked up speed again and her shivers returned. Although her mind was made up to at least give this a try, she couldn't seem to quell the nervous churning of her stomach. A familiar sensation was creeping over her, a confusing mixture of fear and arousal she hadn't felt in years, and she drew in a deep breath, trying to relax.

Of course, Azula noticed. The alpha came to a stop at the bedroom door. "Wait a moment, would you?" she said to Mai, in an unusually polite tone.

Mai seemed equally surprised, because she nodded without the usual sarcastic commentary and leaned against the wall, retrieving her book from her robes and burying her nose in it. Ty Lee gave her one last glance before Azula led her into their private chambers, shutting the door behind them.

"I know that look," Azula said, taking both of her hands. She spoke with both authority and worry, and the graceful lines of her face were tense with concern. "If you can't do this, you need to tell me, Ty Lee."

For a moment, Ty Lee considered it. She didn't want to do this, but there was some wiggle room between 'don’t want to' and 'can't'. She closed her eyes, taking stock of her body, trying to understand her reactions and the feelings behind them. Beneath the tight ball of nervousness gathering in the center of her chest, she found something warm—the trust Azula had fought so hard to earn from her, and the love that had blossomed out of the horrible circumstances of their meeting. It was still inexplicable to her, even after all these years, but it was as strong as ever.

When she opened her eyes again, she was determined. "I can do this," she said, speaking to herself as much as Azula. "And... part of me needs to do this?" Her voice wavered on the last question, but as she spoke it aloud, she grew more certain.

"You don't need to do this," Azula protested. "Not for me."

"Not for you," Ty Lee said. "Well, not  _ just _ for you. For me. I don't like how afraid I am of this. It would be one thing if I just didn't like it, but... I think part of me does? And I can't enjoy it because it's bringing up all these awful memories." A look of guilt flashed across Azula's face, and Ty Lee hurried to cup her cheek, the one that carried her scar. "Don't. I've forgiven you. I forgave you years ago."

"That doesn't mean I've forgiven myself," Azula said in a low voice.

"You aren't Ozai," Ty Lee insisted, urging Azula to look at her. "And I'm not a coward. If I feel this strongly about 'performing' this way, it must mean something. I need to figure out what it is. I  _ want _ to figure out what it is."

After a long pause, Azula nodded. "You always were braver than me," she said, her frown becoming a small smile. "If that's your choice, go and get Mai."

Ty Lee returned Azula’s smile with a hesitant one of her own and turned back to the door. After a brief moment of concern that Mai had decided that this was just too weird and bailed, she realized that her friend had just gotten bored waiting and sunk to the floor to read her book. Upon Ty Lee’s arrival, Mai sighed and got up, snapping the book shut. “I guess we’re still doing this, then.”

Ty Lee nodded, giving her friend a nervous smile. “If you’re still okay with it.”

“I just hope you’re not expecting me to, I don’t know, make any kind of commentary,” Mai said. “Because I’m going to be trying to pay as little attention as possible.”

Ty Lee blushed crimson as they walked back into the royal suite. “No, no commentary, please. And in fact, if you could try to forget anything you hear…”

Mai waved her hand. “Consider it already forgotten.”

As they entered the bedroom, Ty Lee had a brief moment of panic that her mate might already have started disrobing and Mai was about to get a full frontal of a view that Ty Lee frequently enjoyed, but doubted that her friend would appreciate. Apparently Mai was having similar concerns, because she clapped her hand over her eyes and was only saved from walking into a pillar by Ty Lee’s quick reflexes. Azula watched it all with a snort. “Don’t worry, you’re safe from being blinded by my beauty.”

Mai carefully removed her hand, glanced over to make certain that Azula was telling the truth, and then looked around the room for the comfiest seat she could find. “Doesn’t quite do it for me, I’m afraid.”

To Ty Lee’s relief, Azula took that in stride. “To each their own.” When Mai’s back was turned, she gave her mate a look as though to say,  _ See? I’m playing nice. _

Ty Lee curtailed the impulse to roll her eyes and mouthed  _ Thank you  _ instead.

Once the beta was settled with the chair she’d chosen turned almost entirely around, Azula held out a hand. Ty Lee took it, feeling the nervousness she’d been successfully holding at bay starting to coil in her belly again. As they walked to the bed, she stopped herself from pushing it back, trying to examine it more fully:  _ It’s just Mai, not the whole court. And certainly not the whole nation. And she’ll be ignoring us more than watching us, anyway. So why am I still worried? _

She couldn’t quite think of an answer, but as she drew even with Azula and gazed into her mate’s darkened eyes, she was forced to question whether it was, in fact, nervousness that she felt. After all, excitement had a similar taste.

She trembled a bit, sucking in a breath.  _ There’s no way I could actually be  _ excited  _ about this…is there?  _ The idea was troubling, to say the least, but at the same time, this scenario—in their own room, with the lamps dimmed and no one except for her best friend who might see them—was about as far from being paraded naked through Ozai’s court as possible. That had been traumatizing; this was just…mildly awkward.

“Well, I guess we’d better do this,” she said with as much courage as she could muster. To her surprise, Azula only nodded. After a moment, Ty Lee realized it was because her mate was waiting for her. Touched, she tightened her grip on the alpha’s hand and pulled her gently onto the bed.


	4. Chapter 4

Once they were resting on top of the covers, Ty Lee hesitated. Azula was kneeling beside her only a few inches away, but she was completely unsure how to start. When they were alone, she never had any difficulties deciding how to touch her mate, or the best way to undress her. Everything was fluid and instinctive, a result of passion and need. Now, with Mai's presence only a few yards away, she had no idea where to begin.

She drew her lower lip between her teeth, heart hammering hard in her chest. The fact that Mai was facing the wall didn't help calm her nerves. A familiar war was brewing within her, a battle between fear and arousal, and it left her paralyzed. She closed her eyes, trying to gather her racing thoughts.  _ What am I going to do? What if I can't go through with this? What if Azula is disappointed, and Mai is disgusted, and I'm— _

A soft hand cupped her cheek, and she opened her eyes again, relieved to see Azula's face hovering close to hers. "Kiss me," Azula whispered, and Ty Lee felt a huge weight lift from her shoulders. It wasn't an order, not precisely, but it  _ was _ a direction, and she was grateful for the help.

_ Kiss her. I can do that. I kiss her all the time. _

Ty Lee leaned in, relaxing further as the familiar warmth of Azula's mouth brushed over hers. Her lips remained closed at first, but after a few moments, she parted them, inviting Azula to deepen the kiss. Azula's tongue pressed forward, coaxing rather than insistent, and the low throb between Ty Lee's legs picked up again. It was confusing, but also something of a blessing. She tried to focus on it, allowing the embers of desire to grow brighter and hoping she could use them as a distraction.

After a few moments, she felt confident enough to begin removing Azula's clothes. Their lips remained pressed close, but she began running her hands along the edges of Azula's silk shirt, searching out the hem and tugging gently. When the alpha responded by spilling a low groan of approval into her mouth, Ty Lee drew the garment up and off, quivering as she took in the sight before her.

Azula's skin seemed to glow in the candlelight. Ty Lee felt herself relax even further. That is, until Azula attempted to return the favor. She stiffened the moment her mate’s hand cupped her side. Feeling the heat of Azula’s palm had startled her, although it had also sent sparks crawling along her flesh.

“Do you want to leave the top on?” Azula asked, her brow knitting in concern.

The display of patience, as well as the reminder that she had a choice in whether or not to undress, helped steady Ty Lee’s nerves. She opened her mouth, but she wasn’t even sure what answer she wanted to give. Eventually, she reached back to remove the choli top herself. Somehow, taking it off on her own made her feel less vulnerable than allowing Azula to do it for her. Before she let it fall, she stole a glance at the back of Mai’s chair. The beta still wasn’t watching them, and from what little Ty Lee could see of the top of her friend’s head, her nose was buried in her book.

_ Okay. She isn’t even paying attention. You can do this. _ With a long exhale, Ty Lee pulled the top over her head, letting it flutter to the floor.

As soon as her top half was bare, Azula’s eyes lit up with desire. Ty Lee found that a little more of her nervousness had vanished. While everything about this scene felt strange and alien, the reminder that her mate wanted her was something familiar that she could cling to. Biting her lip, she managed to give Azula a shy grin. 

Azula returned it with her typical smirk, correctly interpreting her need to reestablish their familiar dynamic. She reached for Ty Lee’s hips, pulling their bodies flush. Warm hands started to travel up her sides, and Ty Lee sucked in a shuddering breath as they brushed the undersides of her breasts…but then they stopped. She frowned questioningly at her mate and saw the hesitation in Azula’s eyes.

“Can I…”

“Yes,” she whispered, grabbing Azula’s hands and pulling them to her breasts before leaning in to press their lips together. Her mate’s caution was endearing, and it gave Ty Lee hope that she would act with similar respect during the actual ceremony, but she had gotten used to being with Azula in a somewhat…different manner. While Azula could certainly take her time and be tender if it was warranted, she was far more inclined toward a much rougher dynamic, taking and using Ty Lee’s body skillfully. And at this point, that was something the omega very much enjoyed.

She met Azula’s hesitance with trembling eagerness, kissing her hungrily and letting her hands rest briefly on Azula’s waist before sliding around to cup her firm ass. Azula’s hips jerked roughly against her own, and she gave a low growl against Ty Lee’s lips. Her fingers expertly pinched and rolled and rubbed at Ty Lee’s nipples until she was panting into Azula’s mouth and arching toward the sensation, desperate for more. She let out a loud moan…and then froze.

Breaking the kiss with Azula to dart a terrified glance at Mai, she saw that the beta had not turned at the sound or looked away from her book.  _ Is it my imagination, or is she sitting up more stiffly? There's no way she didn't hear… _

“She's ignoring us,” Azula murmured, pressing small kisses against the soft skin of Ty Lee’s neck and shoulder. “Ignore her back.”

The alpha’s voice was tight with need, and Ty Lee could feel the physical evidence of her desire pressing between them through the fabric of their pants, but to her credit, Azula kept her hands still and did not attempt to continue. But the sound of her own moan resonated in Ty Lee’s mind, and she couldn't keep a bright flush from spreading across her cheeks. 

Until, that is, Azula’s kisses became punctuated by little nips, and Ty Lee found herself leaning into them. Azula’s hands resumed their torturous manipulations, and soon she was pressed fully against the alpha, gasping as jolts of pleasure seared through her body and centered between her legs. Instead of being a comfort, the flash of arousal frightened Ty Lee even more. Her body felt like it was reacting without her permission, a sensation she hadn’t experienced in years, and she jerked back, breaking the kiss and whimpering with a mixture of desire and protest.

Azula stopped immediately. Her forehead creased with concern, and her dark eyes widened, clearly worried. “Ty Lee...”

“This isn’t working,” Ty Lee said, loud enough for Mai to hear. She pulled the covers up over her chest as her friend turned around, making sure she was covered.

To her relief, Mai averted her eyes again after checking on her. "Should I leave?" she asked without her usual sarcasm, marking her place with her finger and closing her book. She began to rise from the chair, but Ty Lee shook her head.

"No, wait. There has to be some way for me to get over this. I  _ want _ to. I just..." She paused, hanging her head in disappointment. "Whenever Azula touches me, I remember that you're here."

Azula shifted back, giving her a little more space, but made sure to leave a hand on her thigh so they weren't completely separated. "What if Mai couldn't see you? Would that make you more comfortable?"

"No," Ty Lee and Mai said at the same time.

"That would be even worse," Ty Lee continued. "Then she wouldn't have anything to do but listen to us." The thought made her stomach churn even as she felt another unwanted pull between her legs. The wetness there was making her incredibly uncomfortable, and any attempts to squirm only increased the throbbing pressure there. She could still remember how Azula's shaft had felt pushing against her, and despite everything, part of her wanted it back.

"I did bring the book for a reason," Mai added, falling back into her monotone. "Please don't hold me hostage in here without a distraction."

Azula pouted slightly, folding her arms across her chest. "It was just a suggestion. Do the two of you have any better ideas?"

Mai seemed to consider the situation for a moment, but eventually, the subtlest of smiles crossed her face. "What if Ty Lee wore the blindfold instead? Maybe it would help her forget that I'm in the room."

"That sounds stupid," Azula said, obviously not convinced. “Wouldn’t blindfolding her defeat the purpose of the exercise?”

Ty Lee thought about it. Part of her felt bad for considering such a crutch when they had gone through so much trouble to ask for Mai's help in the first place, but the thought of darkness made her feel strangely safe. There, she couldn't be judged. She wouldn't be able to focus on anything but Azula's hands, Azula's lips, the pleasure Azula's body demanded from hers. "It's worth a try, isn't it?" she said, giving her mate a hopeful look. "A baby step is better than going backwards. I think it could work."

Although she had been more than willing to argue with Mai over the idea, Azula was less inclined to deny a request from her. She sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "I suppose, if you think it might help..."

"I do," Ty Lee said, with confidence she didn't feel.

“Then we’ll see if it works.”

“Of course you agree when your mate suggests it,” Mai said, heaving a dramatic sigh. She took her seat again, turning the chair back toward the wall. "I'll just be over here. Reading. Pretending I don't exist."

"You can start by not talking," Azula growled. Ty Lee laughed softly. The situation was almost funny, if she analyzed it as if from a distance.

"Be nice," she murmured, stroking her hand down Azula's arm. She let the covers fall away from her breasts, revealing herself to Azula's gaze once more. "Get the blindfold."

With more obedience than she usually displayed, Azula opened the top drawer beside the bed. The rattling sound coming from within sent a shiver down Ty Lee's spine, and she wasn't sure whether she enjoyed it or not. In her current mood, the chains that Azula was undoubtedly shifting brought back mixed memories. After a long hesitation, she said, "Maybe those too?"

Azula glanced back at her in surprise. She didn't speak, but her ' _ Are you sure?'  _ was obvious in her expression.

Ty Lee nodded. She didn't know why the thought of giving up more control made her feel safer, and it didn't make any logical sense, but she was willing to follow her instincts. There was a tangle inside her that needed loosening, and she would go where the threads led her.

With a small dip of her head to show she understood, Azula withdrew the chains, as well as a crimson silk scarf. Ty Lee swallowed at the sight of them. Instead of waiting for Azula to do the honors, she picked up the blindfold and tied it around her own eyes, sealing herself in the comforting blackness. She blinked, but barely any light passed through. She didn't know Azula had reached out to touch her until she felt a warm palm stroke down her back.

"Lie down," Azula said, in a soft but commanding voice. "And take off your pants."

Slowly and shakily, Ty Lee obeyed. There was a part of her that found relief in surrendering herself to her alpha’s voice, but another part of her was terrified by just how easy it was to do as Azula said. If she obeyed the Fire Lord’s every order without question, she had no control. Azula could command her to do anything. Where did it end? Where did she draw the line? Did Azula even  _ have _ a line?

_ Enough,  _ Ty Lee told that small, panicky part of herself.  _ This is Azula, your mate, the sire of your pups. She won't hurt you this time; she’s not the same alpha that she was all those years ago. You just have to trust her. _

As soon as she had begun to relax, she heard the rattling of chains, and her entire body froze up again. Azula either noticed her stiffness or heard the sudden quickening of her breathing, because a moment later she felt warm hands sliding along the insides of her arms, gently urging her to raise them above her head. “Shh,” the alpha murmured, low enough that only she could hear. “It's all right. Remember, you can tell me to stop whenever you want.”

Words were a bit beyond Ty Lee, but she managed to nod. She felt a brief, sudden kiss pressed to her lips, and then Azula fastened the first cuff around her wrist.

Her breathing picked up again, but instead of leaving her alone and afraid in the darkness, Azula seemed to be everywhere. Her hands slid along Ty Lee’s body on their way to each ankle and wrist, delivering pleasure while simultaneously telegraphing her every move, so that Ty Lee was never surprised by Azula’s presence anywhere.

By the time she had secured each bond, Ty Lee’s skin thrummed with sensation and her center was pulsing and throbbing with heat. She was still breathing hard, but it was no longer from barely-contained panic. She needed Azula in her  _ now. _

She attempted to articulate her desire, but all that came out was a low whine. Luckily, Azula understood. “Soon,” she promised with a low chuckle, then ran her hands up Ty Lee’s sides one more time before giving her nipples a final tweak. It was a cheeky thing to do, but she was so sensitive that it made her gasp.

Azula’s hands left her body, and Ty Lee arched in search of their warmth and the pleasure they brought, but when she heard the rustling of fabric she realized that her mate was simply stripping off what remained of her clothing. A moment later she felt the alpha’s familiar weight settling over her. She sighed with relief into Azula’s mouth before returning her kiss hungrily. It wasn't long before she wanted more than just kissing, however. She began arching up as far as her restraints allowed, rubbing her body against Azula’s tight torso in search of more friction, more sensation, just… _ more. _

When the aching wetness between her legs brushed against something thick and hard, she gasped. Azula growled against her lips, but a moment later the alpha was gone, lifting herself just enough to prevent it from happening again. Ty Lee let out another whine, walking the tightrope between need and fear, before she heard Azula’s voice, low and rough with desire. “You need to tell me what you want from me,” she said as Ty Lee strained towards the sound. “And unless you want me to stop, you need to keep talking.”

At first, Ty Lee was inclined to think her mate cruel, but as soon as the initial fear faded, she realized the intent behind the order. Azula wanted her to keep talking so that she could be sure that she wasn't crossing any boundaries. Ty Lee felt a sudden surge of love course through her heart, and it gave her the courage to speak. 

"Inside," she murmured, the edge of her voice cracking on the single word. "I want you inside me..."

The thickness she had felt before didn't return, but she did feel the tips of Azula's fingers glide along her thigh, lighting up the sensitive skin on the way up. They stopped at the crease of her leg, hesitating just long enough to make Ty Lee squirm before finally delving between her legs. At first, they rolled over her clit, teasing the stiff point through its hood. Ty Lee couldn't help herself. Her hips jerked, hovering off the mattress with what little freedom the chains allowed.

When she started gasping, the circles stopped. As she groped for the words she wanted, pleas for Azula to continue, her mate's fingertips moved down, swirling against her entrance. She held her breath, waiting, and a moment later, she was rewarded with the fullness she had been waiting for. Two of Azula's fingers sank inside of her, sliding all the way to the knuckle. It was a smooth, fluid stroke, and Ty Lee's muscles clenched around them, fluttering eagerly.

"So wet," Azula muttered, surprisingly close to her lips. Ty Lee couldn't see anything thanks to the blindfold, but she could feel the heat of Azula's breath. It was warm and sweet against her face, and she tilted her chin up in the hopes of a kiss. "So ready for me..."

Ty Lee's stomach clenched, and her muscles tensed. Something about the words dragged her back to an unpleasant place, and she let out an uncertain whimper. Being so aroused—and hearing Azula point it out—had left her vulnerable, and her mind was a mess, a chaotic mixture of good and bad memories.

Thankfully, Azula noticed. "Keep talking," she said, placing a kiss on the point of her chin. "Tell me what you want."

It took Ty Lee a moment to decide what she wanted. She was afraid of continuing, but she didn't want to stop either. She drew in a deep breath through her nose, trying to think. "Curl... curl your fingers," she rasped, swallowing around the lump in her throat. "Please..."

Right away, the fingers inside her formed a hook. Even more wetness spilled from deep inside her, and she couldn't stifle the scream that burst from her mouth. To her relief, Azula swallowed the sound with another kiss. Ty Lee let herself go, riding out the spikes of pleasure, trusting her mate to muffle the worst of the noise. Thoughts of Mai drifted further and further away. She hadn't completely forgotten about the beta's presence, but it was hard to recall why she had been so worried with Azula's lips on hers and Azula's fingers pumping inside of her.

She whined in disappointment when both pulled away, arching in search of more and shifting on top of the mattress. Azula was undoubtedly waiting for her to say something else, but she couldn't summon the powers of speech. Her head was spinning and the last of her fear had fully tipped over into dizzying need. She needed Azula inside her. She needed Azula on top of her, driving into her. She needed to be filled and her body burned every second she was denied.

"Take me," she finally managed to gasp out. "Azula, take m—"

Her request became a sharp cry as Azula's hips slotted over hers. The broad tip of Azula's cock brushed against her entrance,  _ finally _ lining up and preparing to push inside. She tilted her pelvis up, already prepared to beg again, but she didn't need to. Azula gave her exactly what she had asked for, sinking inside of her with a low groan and stretching her even further.

Their bodies came together easily. Ty Lee was so wet that the two of them were able to join in a single thrust. The top of Azula's knot rubbed against her clit, already fully formed, and Ty Lee struggled to decide whether she wanted to ask for the rest, or allow Azula to move first. She wanted long, deep thrusts, but she wanted to be full as well.

To her absolute agony, Azula stayed hilted deep inside of her, waiting for her decision. Ty Lee nearly wailed as she clenched and fluttered around the fullness of her mate’s cock, her inner walls pleading for friction. Azula’s hips gave a short jerk, making a low growl rumble from her chest. “You know what you have to do,” she gritted out from between clenched teeth. “Do you want my knot, or do you want me to—”

“ _ Fuck me!” _

Azula took off like a shot, pounding furiously into her at a brutal pace. Ty Lee could focus on nothing else. The deep, burning stretch of Azula’s cock spreading her open was all-consuming. She opened her mouth and screamed, completely forgetting that they had an audience. She was finally getting what she wanted—no more teasing, no more self-consciousness—and nothing else mattered. The entire Nation could be in the room watching as long as Azula kept up her vicious pace.

But Ty Lee wasn't the only one who'd been on edge. Before long, she felt her mate’s cock give a heavy throb inside of her, and the movement of Azula’s hips stuttered. Ty Lee was abruptly reminded of what often came soon after: the heady rush of Azula’s release, the hot jets of come flooding her until she couldn't hold any more, the firm press of the alpha’s knot at her entrance, keeping every drop inside of her…

Ty Lee realized what she needed even more than for her mate to keep fucking her. The burst of clarity also helped remind her what she needed to do in order for that to happen: she needed to tell Azula to knot her. She opened her mouth to do just that, but suddenly remembered Mai’s presence in the room with them.  _ Oh spirits, what she must have heard already…  _ A hot flush spread across her cheeks, and she hoped Azula didn't notice.

She was out of luck, however. With what must have been a superhuman effort, the alpha slowed her frenetic pace. Ty Lee could hear the frown in her voice as she said, “What’s wrong?”

At first all she could do was whimper in response, but when the speed of her mate’s thrusts diminished further, she gasped out, “I want to tell you, but…Mai…”

“Mai’s not in you right now,” Azula grunted. “I am. Do you want me to stop?”

_ “No!” _

“Then tell me what you want me to do.”

Ty Lee squeezed her eyes shut beneath the blindfold, trying to block out everything but the sensation of her mate’s hands on her hips and the exquisite torture of her pounding cock, and the press of her full, straining knot against her opening. She fought with herself, with the embarrassment and agitation of what her best friend might have heard her say, the sounds she knew her mate had drawn from her throat… Ultimately, that was what made the decision for her.  _ She’s already heard everything anyway. There’s no way it can get any worse. _

_ “Ty Lee,”  _ Azula groaned, her knot twitching heavily against Ty Lee’s entrance. Ty Lee knew she didn't have much time before Azula had to stop, or risk spilling her release prematurely. Urged on, her words came out in a wail:

“Azula, knot me,  _ please!” _

That was all Ty Lee needed to say. The thickness resting against her pushed forward, and her entire world became the burning stretch at her entrance. Her inner walls pulsed, struggling to yield, but as always, Azula knew just the right way to relax her. The alpha's hot mouth sealed over the mark on her throat, and Ty Lee's body blossomed open. The swell of Azula's knot sank all the way in, and her muscles sealed tight around the other side, locking it in place.

The fullness was too much. Something within her snapped, and the release she had been both fighting against and struggling toward broke over her all at once. Tears of relief leaked from eyes, soaking through the blindfold, and she screamed to the ceiling, no longer caring who might hear. She was lost to pleasure, lost in Azula, and she wasn't ashamed of her surrender. She let the heavy ripples course through her, sobbing with each contraction.

Above her, Azula continued moving. Tied together, her mate couldn't get the same power behind each thrust, but she was so deep that it didn't matter. Ty Lee clenched and squeezed around the pounding shaft, shuddering at the fullness she could feel along its length. Her own orgasm hadn't even ended, but already, she found herself craving more. It wasn't enough to come. She needed to feel Azula's release pouring into her—needed that final mark of ownership. She waited, but the rhythmic flood never came. Azula remained stiff above her, hips jerking in a shallow, uneven rhythm, trembling with the effort of holding back.

The words her mate had said before swam through Ty Lee's spinning head.  _ You need to tell me what it is you want from me... unless you want me to stop... _

"Please," she whimpered with the last bit of breath she had. "Azula, I need you to fill me."

Azula growled and her hips slammed forward one final time. Ty Lee yelped, but the sound broke on a sigh of absolute bliss. The heavy spurts she had been waiting for finally flooded deep inside her, and her muscles fluttered harder. Each hot splash made her shiver all over again. Soon, she was floating somewhere outside of herself. Azula was finally claiming her, filling her in every way possible, and it was glorious.

Her pleasure stretched on and on, spinning out like a spool of thread with no beginning or end in sight. She could barely remember her own name, let alone why she had been so nervous. She even forgot the manacles around her ankles and wrists, although her fingers flexed in a futile effort to find some part of Azula's skin to grasp. Each rush of warmth that filled her caused her inner walls to ripple and her lower belly to swell, and despite the tingling flush that rushed over every inch of her skin, her frantic heartbeat slowed down. With Azula's weight on top of her and Azula's knot sealed inside of her, she felt  _ safe _ .

Their shared orgasm seemed to go on forever, each hot jet of come extending Ty Lee’s when she was about to finish. At last, Azula collapsed on top of her with a groan, utterly spent. Ty Lee welcomed her mate’s weight on top of her, wishing she could stroke the tense, sweaty muscles of Azula’s back or tangle her fingers in the soft curls at the base of her skull. As it was, she had to content herself with pressing kisses wherever she could reach, on the skin of Azula’s shoulders and cheeks and neck, as her lover recovered her breathing.

Finally, Azula raised her head, pushing up the blindfold so she could give Ty Lee a sleepy smile. Her eyes shone with love, and Ty Lee returned it before putting on a false pout. “Oh, no you don't. I know that look. I am not letting you fall asleep without untying me again.” 

Azula opened her mouth to protest, but was preempted by a snort from the occupant of the chair by the window, whom Ty Lee had managed to forget existed.  _ Well, I guess that was the idea _ , she thought, but that didn't prevent her from blushing deeply at the thought of what her best friend might consequently know about their sex life.

Azula grunted with sleepy irritation, and Ty Lee knew it was a measure of how satisfied her mate was that a snarky response didn't immediately spring from her lips. Instead, she reached up to the cuffs on Ty Lee’s wrists, releasing first one and then the other. The movement made her knot shift, and Ty Lee had to suppress a gasp. She was abruptly reminded of just how full she was with Azula’s come.

As her arms were freed and Azula began her habitual process of looking them over for any troubling bruises or abrasions, kissing each one, Ty Lee reflected on how it might be if her stomach remained this way, growing to hold more pups. She knew it was just her inner omega talking—her next heat wasn't far off, and such thoughts tended to occur more frequently as it approached—but she couldn't help asking,  _ What if…? _

_ Not now _ , she told herself as Azula settled back down over her, rumbling into a grumpy purr.  _ Maybe later, when this whole mess is over, we can talk about it…but for now, the pups we do have are more than enough of a handful. _

The alpha’s purring had a soothing effect. Ty Lee relaxed, nearly managing to forget that they had company until Mai cleared her throat. She glanced over Azula’s shoulder and saw the beta making a fuss over gathering her things, steadfastly avoiding looking over at the bed. What did anyone even say in this kind of a situation? ‘Thank you for your help?’ But before Ty Lee could figure out the least awkward way to say goodbye, Mai turned, leveling a flat gaze on the tied pair. Ty Lee was abruptly very glad for the warm, heavy blanket of her mate’s body covering hers.

“Well, this was an…interesting experience,” Mai said dryly, not quite meeting Ty Lee’s eyes. “Are your well-founded fears of public copulation cured, or do we need to repeat this tomorrow night?” 

“Yes,” Ty Lee whimpered after a moment spent gathering her courage. “I'm not quite cured. But Mai, thank you so,  _ so _ much for your—”

“Oh spirits no, I don't think I can stand you thanking me,” Mai said, moving towards the door. “I just want to help you get through this and then drink until I forget that it ever happened.” 

The door shut with a click that sounded like a small explosion to Ty Lee, and she had to bury her face in her mate’s neck and groan for a moment. However, Azula was still purring, and the low thrumming slowly settled throughout the omega’s entire body, soothing her agitation and easing her toward sleep.

“Some help you were,” Ty Lee murmured fondly to the mostly-sleeping alpha, but pressed a kiss to the corner of Azula’s mouth to ease the sting of her words. Azula’s only answer was a sleepy rumble. She tucked her nose into the curve of Ty Lee’s neck, and a moment later she was out, snoring softly. Ty Lee smiled, basking in the scent of her mate and the fullness still within her, and allowed it to carry her into dreams.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be more smut, but first - pup fluff!

When Ty Lee awoke the next morning, it was to the soft wash of Azula's breath against the back of her neck and the comforting weight of the alpha's arm draped over her hip. Although they were no longer joined, their limbs remained tangled together and she savored the warm press of skin. Azula's breasts were nestled comfortably against her shoulder blades and her mate’s cock nudged at her backside, already half-hard.

With a luxurious yawn, Ty Lee turned in Azula's embrace, unsurprised to find that her lover was still fast asleep. She smiled fondly, tucking back a strand of dark hair that had fallen loose beside Azula's cheek. She was sleeping scar-side down, and without the angry redness visible, she looked far younger than her years.  _ Almost like she did when we first met... _

Thinking about the beginning of their relationship usually brought up mixed feelings, but this time, Ty Lee was relaxed and content enough to focus on the positives. Despite their terrible beginnings, Azula had developed into a kind, considerate, and attentive mate—and one who had brought her to the pinnacle of pleasure last night despite her nerves. Surely such consideration deserved a fitting reward. Her mind made up, she let her fingertips trail down along Azula's firm stomach, toward the waiting shaft of her cock. It stirred at her touch, swelling further as she folded a gentle fist around it and began to stroke.

Azula's eyes fluttered open, and Ty Lee couldn't decide whether to be pleased or disappointed. It wasn't often that she got to play with Azula while she was sleeping and vulnerable, but with her mate awake, other possibilities arose. "Good morning," she murmured, dipping in to press a gentle kiss on top of Azula's smiling mouth. As she had hoped, Azula's fingers curled around the back of her neck, urging her to deepen it. When they parted, both of them were panting, and Azula's cock was straining in her palm.

"A good morning indeed," Azula said, staring down between their bodies. "I see you've already decided what you want to do first today."

Ty Lee grinned. "Maybe." She gave her mate's length a light squeeze, enjoying the way it twitched in her grip.

"Are you saying last night wasn't enough for you?" Azula asked, her loving smile curling into a much more common smirk that dripped with smugness. "You certainly seemed to enjoy yourself."

"I wasn't the one who fell asleep after we came," Ty Lee pointed out. Although she would never do so in public, in private, she couldn't resist the rare opportunity to bring her lover's ego down a few notches with some harmless teasing. Azula's lower lip poked out in a pout, and Ty Lee laughed. "Yes, I did enjoy myself. You were wonderful. Once we got started, I forgot Mai was even in the room."

"Well, Mai isn't anywhere about now," Azula said. She flipped onto her back and spread her legs invitingly, striking a pose that indicated she was open to being worshiped. "Well? What are you waiting for? Your Fire Lord requires your attention before breakfast."

Ty Lee ran her tongue over her lips to wet them, eyeing her prize as she considered her options. Her inner muscles shivered at the thought of taking Azula's cock inside, but the previous night had left her a little sore. She wasn't sure she could handle another knotting quite so soon. The glinting pool of wetness at the very tip of Azula's shaft, however, made her mouth water. "Would my mouth do?" she asked, giving Azula's shaft another slow stroke. "After last night, I think you've earned it."

Azula nodded, settling further back against the pillows. "I always love your mouth... although right now, I wish you weren't using it to talk."

Ty Lee slid further down on the bed, preparing to follow Azula's instructions, but before she could even crawl into position between her mate's legs, a loud wail came from somewhere outside the bedroom. Both of them shared a worried look, jerking up in surprise. "That was one of the pups, wasn't it?" Ty Lee said, releasing her hold on Azula's cock and frowning in dismay. "Weren't they supposed to be with Zuko?"

Azula spared a glance at the sun shining in through the window. "We've slept through breakfast. He might have fed them and dropped them off already."

The sound of sobbing continued and Ty Lee made to get up from the bed. "I'll just go check on them—"

"Do you have to?" Azula said, almost whining in dismay and reaching out to catch her wrist. "They need to learn to work out their own squabbles eventually."

"Are you forgetting that two of them are firebenders?" Ty Lee pointed out. "I don't want anyone burned. Again." Still, she couldn't help feeling sorry for Azula. The length of her mate's cock looked painfully hard and was clearly in need of relief. "I promise, I'll make it up to you later."

With an exaggerated sigh, Azula flopped back onto the bed. "Very well. I'll be in the bathroom once I summon the energy to move, dousing myself in cold water."

Ty Lee rolled her eyes at her mate's dramatics, then got up to find her robe so she could check on her pups.

* * *

It wasn’t even noon, but it was already shaping up to be a long and boring day. Ty Lee had found their pups embroiled in some squabble that Azula couldn’t quite make sense of, and had packed them off with stern warnings that if they couldn’t behave, they wouldn’t be allowed to play in the garden after lunch, but would have to sit indoors quietly and work on their calligraphy. There was a large amount of complaining from Izumi and Zha Xi, although Taizo had actually looked hopeful, according to Ty Lee’s recounting of the event.

“I have to admit, I don’t know where he gets it from,” Ty Lee said with fond exasperation after they'd all been packed off to their tutors at last. “I was never particularly fond of books when I was young, and from what I understand, you and Zuko spent more time looking for ways to get out of lessons than actually learning.”

Azula snorted. “Me more than Zuko. By the time I was twelve, I’d learned that my history tutor was having an affair with the head gardener's alpha daughter and they were planning to run away and start a family together. I kept him in that palace for five more years under pain of revealing him and he reported perfect performances to my father. I never sat through another lesson.”

Ty Lee rolled her eyes, but there was more amusement in the expression than anything. “Of course you didn’t. Now, I know you need to go to Petitioner’s Court, but are you  _ sure _ there isn’t anything I can do for you beforehand…?” 

Azula paused in the middle of drawing on her heavy formal robes, biting her lip as her cock gave a heavy twitch. It had taken long enough for Ty Lee to deal with their brood that she had felt the need to take matters into her own hands so that she could draw a bath and prepare for the day. She'd spent a bit longer in the water than was strictly necessary, hoping that her mate might return and join her, but had been forced to concede defeat when the water had started cooling and Ty Lee still hadn’t appeared. By the time the omega had returned, looking rather frazzled, she had been mostly dressed, and already very late.

When Ty Lee's bottom lip stuck out in a slight pout, Azula let out a groan. “There are  _ many _ things you can do for me,” she said, turning to her entirely too alluring mate, “but unless you’re ready to do them on your knees in front of the court, they'll have to wait. If I miss hearing petitioners one more time, Councilor Bo has personally assured me that he'll start a riot. And knowing him, that would be both annoying and expensive to put down.” 

Ty Lee pretended to sulk for another couple of seconds, but her face soon returned to its usual cheerful expression. “All right, then. Try not to kill anyone today, and I’ll make it worth your while tonight.”

Azula grinned, heading off to the audience chamber with a spring in her step.

Her good mood did not last long, however. Halfway through the third petitioner's diatribe about how he was certain his neighbor was stealing his koala bear sheep and replacing them with his own, far less worthy stock, she was ready to bang her head against the nearest pillar.  _ It could be worse, _ she told herself, listening to the farmer drone on.  _ At least I’m not with my council, learning the proper way to masturbate into a golden cup. _

She opened her mouth, prepared to order the farmer away and severely chastise him for bothering her with something so utterly trivial and unimportant, when one of the palace guards caught her eye. Although he knew better than to approach her, Azula noticed his presence shifting closer while still remaining a respectable distance away.

"I will send someone to investigate your claims," Azula said to the farmer, more to get him to leave than anything. Then, she turned to the Councilor at her left. "Bo? Have one of my magistrates attend to him."

The farmer flattened his fist over his palm and bowed, gushing with thanks, but she ignored his platitudes. Instead, she summoned the guard closer. As he stood to one side, she saw a tiny figure peeking out from behind one of his legs. Izumi was dressed in robes befitting Fire Nation royalty and she held her tiny body ramrod straight. Some of Azula's annoyance vanished. This wasn't the first time her daughter had interrupted her while attending to her duties and she was pleased that Izumi seemed to be showing an interest in the business of running the country.

"Princess Izumi," she said, giving her daughter a slight smile to show she wasn't displeased. "You have my permission to approach the throne."

As Izumi circled around the guard and made her bows, Azula couldn't help but notice the stuffed tigermonkey dangling from one of her small fists. Her eyebrows arched in surprise. The toy wasn't actually Izumi's—it had, in fact, been a present to Zha Xi from her Uncle Zuko, and was one of her most prized possessions. It was her other daughter's constant companion and rarely out of her sight.

"And what is your petition for me today?" she asked despite Councilor Bo's disapproving look. She saw him aim a nervous glance at the long line of people still waiting for an audience, but Azula ignored his fretting.  _ Anything to delay my suffering for just a few more seconds. _

"I want to hear petitions with you, Father," Izumi said, her face shining with a hopeful smile.

Azula's heart melted, although she managed to keep her expression neutral. She had never been able to deny Izumi anything, and she wasn't about to start now.  _ Besides, she needs to learn eventually... and perhaps her company will make this tedious afternoon crawl by faster.  _

"That's an easy enough request to grant," she said, patting her knee. "Come here. I'll allow you to help me."

Izumi practically skipped up the short set of stairs leading to the throne, and Azula picked her up, setting the pup comfortably on her lap. Once her daughter was settled, she reclined back in her seat and turned toward Councilor Bo. "You may bring forward the next petitioner."

Bo looked as though he wanted to object, but of course, he didn't have the courage or the will to question her decision. Instead, he went to fetch the next person in line. While he was occupied, Azula bent to whisper in Izumi's ear. "Would you like to tell me what you're doing with Zha Xi's tigermonkey?" she asked, looking down at the stuffed toy. It was most certainly Zha Xi's, judging by the wear in its matted plush fur and the missing left eye.

"Zha Xi gave her to me," Izumi said. "She's mine now."

"And why would Zha Xi give you her favorite toy?" Azula asked, her suspicions already aroused.

"She said she was tired of it," Izumi said.

Azula searched her face for any trace of dishonesty, but she could find none. Although that wasn't a guarantee of her daughter's innocence—Izumi was nearly always guilty of  _ something.  _ Raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow, Azula said, “Are you certain that's what she said?”

“Well,” the pup muttered, her brow furrowing with adorable uncertainty, “she said she wanted to play with something else for a while. And I told her that I was raising an army for the Fire Nation’s defense, and if she didn't want it we could use a tigermonkey in the brigade.”

“I see,” Azula said. “I suppose we can accept this soldier into our forces. But right now, we’ll be undertaking a very dangerous and important mission: hearing the next fifty idiots complain.”

Izumi giggled, wriggling on her lap, and it was abruptly very difficult to keep from grinning like a fool. “Daddy, that's not  _ dangerous!” _

“Oh yes it is,” Azula insisted, raising her chin at Bo to bring forth the next petitioner. “Dangerous for my patience, and for whoever makes it snap. Now, who comes before the Fire Lord?” she asked the cowering beta. “What business do you bring me?”

“Well, you see, My Lord, there’s this business with the sheep…”

Even though she knew she was setting a bad example for her daughter, Azula could no longer hold back her groan. Settling herself back more comfortably in her chair, she slung an arm around Izumi’s waist to keep her from falling off the tall throne by accident and prepared herself for yet another afternoon of boredom and idiocy.

* * *

After her mate had left for court, Ty Lee had sighed and gone to bathe and dress so she could collect her children from their first tutoring session. As long as they had behaved reasonably well, she was planning to take them to the royal gardens for a picnic lunch. As it turned out, Izumi had behaved surprisingly well, Taizo had been exemplary as always, and Zha Xi had managed to pay attention to more than just military history. So she had surprised them at the door to the tutor’s cottage with a basket full of sweet rolls and dumplings, and had led them to their favorite grassy knoll. They'd stuffed themselves silly and spent the next hour or so lazing about on the nest of blankets some of the servants had spread out (so that the Royal Consort and the Prince and Princesses did not get their finery ruined by grass stains).

Ty Lee had mostly been content to listen to her pups babbling about their lessons and squabbling over which animal each cloud that passed overhead looked like, but she felt a twinge of regret that her morning had started off the way it had. Azula had been so hard and ready, and Ty Lee had been more than eager to reward her for her surprisingly gentle and considerate performance the night before. She loved her pups very much and didn't regret a single second of their existence, but she couldn't help wishing for more time with her mate.

The coil of need that had sparked in her belly when she'd awakened to find the alpha’s cock already hardening against her hadn't gone away as she'd hoped it would. If anything, it had strengthened. Ty Lee found herself drifting off into thoughts of what might have happened had Izumi and Taizo not decided to start the day off with an argument. She would have pumped Azula’s cock a few more times before settling herself in between the Fire Lord’s legs and lowering her mouth to kiss the head. She could almost hear Azula’s low growl at her teasing, and the press of nails against her scalp as Azula urged her head lower…

“Mama, can we go play in the hedge maze?”

Izumi’s voice startled Ty Lee from her increasingly heated reverie and made her jump guiltily. Shaking herself a bit and hoping her children wouldn't notice the burning blush she could feel spreading across her cheeks, she said, “All right…but just make sure you all stay together so you don't get lost.” The three pups gave a cheer and pelted off toward the entrance to the maze. Ty Lee caught the eye of their head nurse, Xia, and the woman gave her a nod before heading off in swift pursuit.

Once she was alone, she reclined on the blanket and closed her eyes, stretching out on her back and soaking in the sun. If she couldn't spend the afternoon lounging in bed in her mate's arms, some time alone was a close second. At least without the joyful shouting of her children, she could let her mind drift ahead to the coming evening, when she might have a chance to steal Azula away for a little while.

_ I'll have to make amends for this morning, _ she thought, embracing the slight tingle that raced down her spine and the blossoming warmth between her legs. It was a swift reaction, more powerful than she had anticipated, and she shifted her position slightly, moving to the other side of the blanket and into the shade of a nearby tree. Still, her skin began to feel sticky with a fresh coat of sweat, and she wished she had worn lighter clothes.

With a sinking feeling, she realized that her desire for Azula wasn't quite normal. The tight, ticklish flutter in her stomach hadn't yet become a desperate, clawing ache, but she was familiar enough with the sensation to know what was coming. Her heat wasn't far off—two weeks at most. Just in time, of course, to coincide with the Fire Lily Festival.

_ It's probably a good thing, _ she told herself, although she didn't really believe it.  _ Maybe it will make... performing... in front of the entire nation easier?  _ But even as she tried to come up with reassurances, she couldn't shake her sinking feeling of dread. She remembered all too well the things her heat made her capable of enduring, made her willingly submit to...things she would never agree to with a clear mind. Although she trusted Azula now, she wasn't certain she trusted herself.

A loud wail snapped Ty Lee out of her thoughts. She sat up at once, blinking to adjust to the sunlight again. If there was one thing that could distract her from both her desire and her fear, it was the sound of one of her pups in distress. With the speed only a protective mother possessed, she leapt off the blanket and jogged over to the hedge maze several hundred yards away. To her surprise, one of her children was already there—Izumi, toddling out from the entrance without a tear to be seen on her smiling face.

"Izumi, did you scream?" Ty Lee asked, bending down to kneel before her. She placed both hands on the pup's thin arms, instinctively checking for injuries.

"No, Mother," Izumi said, in a calm, measured voice that reminded Ty Lee of Azula's when it wasn't angry or annoyed. "I'm fine. Zha Xi and Taizo are still playing."

Ty Lee breathed a sigh of relief, but then she took notice of something odd. Izumi was carrying something in her arms—a fluffy, striped something that most definitely did not belong to her. "What are you doing with Zha Xi's tigermonkey?" she asked, already putting the pieces together.

"She  _ gave _ it to me," Izumi insisted, meeting her eyes with a look of complete honesty. "She said she wanted me to have it. And she said I should go and take it to Father."

Ty Lee didn't believe a word her daughter was saying, but she didn't have time to question her. She suspected that when she made her way inside the maze, she would find Zha Xi in tears. "Wait here with the guards," she told Izumi, rising to her feet again. "I'm going to get your brother and sister."

It didn't take her long to find them. She just had to follow the sound of sniffling sobs. There, she came upon exactly what she expected—Zha Xi, sitting forlornly on the ground while Taizo and Xia tried to comfort her. "What happened here?" she asked the nurse, frowning with worry. "She isn't hurt, is she?"

"Not that I can see," Xia said. "But she won't stop crying. I haven't been able to get what's wrong out of her."

Ty Lee gave an expectant look to Taizo, but he didn't say anything. He was smart enough not to involve himself in his sisters' squabbles, and Ty Lee didn't consider it fair to ask him. Instead, she sat down beside Zha Xi and pulled the weeping pup into her lap. "Go and have the guards escort Izumi to her father, Xia," she said as Zha Xi's wet, messy face nuzzled into her chest in search of comfort. "I'll take care of things here."

The beta nodded and stood, holding out her hand for Taizo. He took it quickly and was out of the clearing in a flash, towing poor Xia behind him. He’d never been much for feelings.

Ty Lee turned back to her alpha daughter to find that her tears had mostly stopped—largely after a heroic effort from Zha Xi, she suspected, as she watched the pup struggle to hold in a sniffle. When she noticed her mother's attention was on her once more, she drew herself up, bottom lip trembling. “Mother,” she said, very formally, and Ty Lee decided to humor her.

“Yes, Zha Xi?”

The pup's lip trembled harder as she contemplated what she had to say. Ty Lee was about to gently encourage her to go on, when she blurted out, “Mother, I just want you to know that if I win, I will take care of you just as Father would!”

Ty Lee blinked, nonplussed. “I…very much appreciate that, Zha Xi, but why would you need to take care of—”

Unwittingly, she had opened the floodgates. Tears began streaming down her cheeks harder than ever, but she managed to babble through them, “I need to get my tigermonkey back and Izumi said that he was in the Fire Nation army now and she said that the only way I could get him back from the army was to challenge Father to agni kai and I don’t want to but I can’t sleep without him and—”

“Shh,” Ty Lee soothed, pulling her daughter to her. “You don’t have to agni kai with your father just to get your tigermonkey back. I’m sure that if we just go to her and explain—”

But instead of soothing the pup, her attempts at comfort made the Zha Xi burst into fresh wails. “No Mama, it's the only way! Izumi said that the Fire Nation needed him, and that he's been conscripted, and he can never leave the army until—”

Ty Lee gave the young alpha another swift hug, effectively cutting off her protests. “Let’s go talk to her, okay?” She rubbed her nose against Zha Xi's, and was gratified to see her daughter crack a small, watery smile. “I happen to know the Fire Lord, and I  _ think _ I can convince her to make an exception.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hellooooo more smut. *cough*
> 
> Feel free to follow us @raedmagdon and @n1ghtwr1ter on tumblr.

Azula knew she should resist the temptation—she was supposed to be setting a good example for Izumi, after all—but her patience was wearing thin. Her daughter had been babbling happily for the past quarter hour, amusing herself by making snide remarks, recommending executions to see the petitioners tremble, and playing with her sister’s tigermonkey. Over the last five minutes or so, however, Izumi had grown increasingly quiet. When the Fire Lord glanced down at her lap, she realized why: the pup had fallen asleep. Curled up in Azula’s lap, thumb in her mouth, the tigermonkey forgotten at the base of the throne, Izumi had never looked more adorable. Azula’s heart swelled in her chest and she quickly looked away. It wouldn’t do for the Fire Lord to be seen getting too emotional, even if her daughter was the most perfect little creature in the world. 

Beckoning Councilor Bo to her as the current petitioners droned on—some petty feudal lord in a dispute with her neighbor over an omega handmaiden, who was standing some distance back with a deeply unhappy look on her face—she whispered to him, “How much longer am I going to have to endure this hogmonkey shit?”

The Councilor allowed himself a moment to look properly scandalized, but withered quickly under her glare. “It will be another hour and a half, Your Majesty,” he said in a low murmur.

Azula's eyes went wide with fury, and only the knowledge that Izumi was still drooling gently on the corner of her robes kept her from squawking. “ _ What _ ?” she hissed. “You told me that the last time I asked! How long has it been since then?”

Bo looked appropriately terrified, but it was little comfort to Azula at this point. “It has been…approximately seven minutes, Your Majesty.”

Azula let out a growl and dismissed him with a flick of her wrist before slouching deeper into the throne.  _ Only seven minutes? I was sure it had to have been an hour at least _ !

Her eyes darted around the room, searching for something that might alleviate her boredom, but all she saw was the same opulent chamber she'd been trapped in for the last eternity… until the guards opened the door to let someone else in. Azula's face cracked into a wide smile. The petitioner who had entered was Ty Lee, carrying Zha Xi balanced on her hip.

Azula's smile swiftly became a frown, however, as she observed her alpha pup's tear-streaked face and wide, terrified eyes. What had happened? Was something wrong? She beckoned for Ty Lee to come to the front of the line, but the omega only gave her a cheerful smile and shook her head. Azula's eyes narrowed.  _ What's going on? What is she playing at _ ?

Upon realizing that she wouldn't get her way immediately, the look of worry on Azula's face shifted into a scowl of annoyance. However, she knew the faster she worked her way through the line, the sooner her mate and pup would arrive at the front. There was nothing else for it but to actually do her job, as tedious as it was. She held up a hand for silence, interrupting the current petitioner’s long-winded speech about why she was the handmaiden's rightful Mistress.

"Since there seems to be some confusion over who actually owns the girl, there is only one fair way to settle this." She aimed a glance down at Izumi to make sure her daughter was truly asleep before making her recommendation. "Both of you say this handmaiden is yours. As the two of you aren't able to come to an agreement like mature alphas, we'll have to settle this the messy way."

She paused, partially for dramatic effect, and partially to study the handmaiden's face. A look of fear came over it, and Azula took careful note of where the omega's dark eyes darted. " _ Agni kai _ , the two of you, right now. Winner claims the prize." As the onlookers gasped and the girl went pale, Azula took in the pair of nobles once more, actually studying them for the first time. They were dressed in fine enough clothes, so it seemed they did not want for means. "Whoever is left without her handmaiden can hire or purchase a new one... assuming she doesn't die from her burns."

"No!" Speaking completely out of turn, the handmaiden rushed forward, leaving her escorts and stepping between the two nobles. "I'm hers," she said, pointing at the long-winded woman from earlier. "I belong to her."

A smug smile crossed the talkative alpha's face, but Azula glanced over at the other petitioner, whose expression was tortured as though she were about to protest at last. "That settles that, then." She pointed at the quieter of the two nobles, the one the omega had not chosen. "She's yours."

Instantly, the quiet noble and the handmaiden's faces brightened. "But my Lord," the loud noble whined, crestfallen, "my sister—"

_ Sisters? _ Azula bit back a groan.  _ Of course. They've brought me in to mediate some kind of incestuous love triangle. Why am I forced to waste my days on such foolishness? _ But as her gaze wandered back to Ty Lee, her heart softened. "You," she said, interrupting the noble's complaints and turning to the woman who had remained silent. "Since you're smiling instead of mewling like a child, I assume this girl wishes to be yours?"

The second woman bowed deeply. "Yes, Fire Lord. She wants to become my mate—"

"Of course she does," Azula drawled with a wave of her hand. Despite the careless display, she couldn't help feeling just the slightest bit sentimental. She had fallen in love with her own slave not so long ago, after all. "This matter is settled and my decision is final. All three of you, get out of my sight." However, despite the harshness of her words, she gave the handmaiden and her chosen lover a tiny nod of approval.

When the three of them had departed, two with grateful bows and murmurs and one noticeably sulking, Azula returned her attention to the other petitioners. There were only a few more people awaiting her attention, but in her impatient state, the line seemed a mile long. With a deep sigh of resignation, she set about sorting through their problems as swiftly and efficiently as possible. Zha Xi was still sniffing back tears, and Azula couldn't deny that she was curious to find out what Ty Lee was up to.

By the time her family had arrived at her throne, Azula was ready to scream, her temper only held in check by her curiosity. However, while she had managed to avoid truly losing her head at anyone (or ordering that any of the petitioners lose theirs), her restlessness eventually awakened her daughter. Izumi whined sleepily for a little bit, and Azula guiltily attempted to soothe her, but the damage was already done. The pup sat up, rubbed her eyes with her fists, and then looked around for the previously forgotten tigermonkey plush.

“Had a nice nap?” Azula murmured, under cover of the drone from the third-to-last petitioner, yet another—you guessed it—sheep farmer. “Your mother and sister are here.”

Izumi had been yawning and stretching luxuriously, but at Azula’s last words she froze. The alpha bent down to anxiously check on her omega daughter, and found the pup’s eyes wide in fear, staring directly ahead. When Azula looked up to see what had so petrified her, she saw Ty Lee, much closer now, with Zha Xi looking frightened but determined from her place against her mother’s hip. While Ty Lee met Azula’s gaze and gave her a cheerful wave, the alpha pup’s eyes were fixed on the tigermonkey dangling from her sister’s fist.

_ Well now, isn’t this interesting?  _ Azula thought, the beginnings of a smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth. She’d suspected a bit of foul play was involved in the transfer of the toy’s ownership, and had been prepared to consult with her mate on a sufficient punishment once the real story came out, but it looked like Ty Lee had already devised her own solution. Azula was familiar enough with the devious streak that hid beneath her mate’s veneer of careless good humor, and was more than happy to let it play itself out.

At long last, Ty Lee and Zha Xi were first in the line of petitioners. While there was a still a steady stream trickling in, and Azula could tell by the hourglass clutched in Counselor Bo’s sweaty fist that she had another hour to go, she doubted that she’d want anything to do with them after whatever Ty Lee had planned. “This will be my final petitioner of the day,” she called, in a ringing voice that reached the entire room. “Guards, clear the hall.”

A chorus of groans and complaints immediately came up from the people behind her mate, but Azula ignored them. When Bo bent to murmur urgently in her ear, she cut him off with a regal wave of her hand. “You’re dismissed too. If I see you again before the evening meal, I’ll cut off your knot and feed it to the lion vultures.”

Bo’s mouth shut with a snap, and he scurried off. Azula watched him waddle out of the room with a certain degree of satisfaction, then returned her gaze to her mate.

“Royal Consort Ty Lee,” she boomed, further aggrandizing the solemn tone she usually used with the petitioners until it was just shy of ridiculous, “what matter do you bring before the Fire Lord today?”

She could tell that Ty Lee was hard put not to giggle, but the omega managed to hold herself together—to Azula’s slight disappointment. “Your Majesty, I bring you a matter of great sadness and urgency,” her mate replied, tone similarly grave but shaking with suppressed mirth. “It concerns this poor pup here, who has lost her best and most loyal companion to the conscription of the Fire Nation army.”

Azula paused, pretending to look thoughtful, but only long enough for Izumi to start squirming in her lap. The pup was decidedly nervous, although she hid it better than most other children her age would have. In a few years, Azula suspected she wouldn't be able to catch the slight hint of fear in her daughter's dark eyes anymore.

"Conscripted?" she repeated, looking down at the tigermonkey in question. Izumi was still holding the doll close to her chest, clutching it possessively. "I have made no such decree. Princess Izumi, would you care to explain?"

Izumi cleared her throat, but not before casting a worried glance at Ty Lee and Zha Xi. "As a citizen of the Fire Nation, it is Master Tigermonkey's duty to serve the royal family. And I'm the Princess. So he should serve me."

"A good point," Azula said, pretending to consider it, but she couldn't keep the joke going for long. Zha Xi looked so devastated that she had to intervene. She plucked the toy gently from Izumi's arms, ignoring the way her hands grasped for it. "But Zha Xi is also a Princess, and Master Tigermonkey was under her command. Do you think it was fair of you to take him from her?"

"She  _ said _ I could." Her trembling lower lip poked out in a pout, trembling slightly, and Azula almost felt sorry enough to take pity on her. Almost. But she was the Fire Lord, and she wasn't going to fall for anyone's catgator tears, even when they belonged to her own pup.

"Did she say you could because she wanted you to play with him, or because you made her feel like she had no choice?"

Izumi thought about this for a minute, but eventually decided it was best not to answer the question. Azula smiled in approval. Her daughter was already wiser than almost all of her advisers, and twice as manipulative. Sometimes, the smart decision was to say nothing at all to incriminate yourself.

"What do you say, Zha Xi? Was it your idea to let your sister have Master Tigermonkey?"

"She said I had to let her take him to you," Zha Xi said. She was obviously still upset, if the smudged tear tracks and her dripping nose were any indication, but she stood proud anyway, hands folded respectfully behind her back. Only once did she look back at Ty Lee for reassurance, and at her mother's nod, she continued. "Father, I challenge you to  _ agni kai _ for the return of Master Tigermonkey!"

Azula's eyebrows arched, and it took some effort to swallow her snort of laughter. Ty Lee wasn't so successful. She brought her hand up to cover her grin, muffling her own giggle with her palm.

"And did Izumi tell you this was necessary, too, Zha Xi?" Azula asked.

"She... she said it was the only way to ensure his return," Zha Xi declared.

Gently, Azula nudged Izumi off her lap and rose from her throne, stretching out the stiffness from her legs as she strode down the steps. Zha Xi trembled as she drew closer, but before the pup could bow and take off her shirt, Azula knelt before her, holding out the stolen toy.  _ "Agni kai _ won't be necessary, my little rabaroo. Here. Take Master Tigermonkey back. He has fulfilled all his duties admirably, and he returns to you a true hero of the Fire Nation."

Zha Xi all but ripped the toy from her hands and hugged it to her chest, before remembering her manners and bowing deeply. “Thank you, Father,” the pup said, tears of relief brimming in her eyes, before succumbing to shyness at being the subject of such a grand audience, and scurrying back to hide behind her mother's legs. Azula took a moment to smile fondly at her alpha daughter, before turning her mind to the conundrum of the tiny omega still seated on her throne.

The main problem, of course, was that Izumi required a balancing act. On the one hand, she had displayed intelligence, foresight, and cunning, and had very nearly gotten away with her little trick. These were all qualities that would serve her admirably as Fire Lord, if Azula named her as heir. Azula did not want to blunt these qualities, but her daughter's manipulative streak needed to be tempered, much like her own. It had been a hard lesson for her to learn, and if Azula could begin teaching it to her gently now, and perhaps cushion the blow, she might not have so far to fall.

Decided, Azula turned to Ty Lee. They shared a look in which Azula said wordlessly,  _ You take Zha Xi, and I'll deal with Izumi,  _ and Ty Lee replied, just as silently,  _ Very well. She’s your pup, after all!  _ Azula rolled her eyes as her mate walked away laughing quietly, Zha Xi having resumed her place on her mother's hip.  _ I'll deal with you later,  _ Azula thought, and gave herself a moment to savor the prospect before returning to her misbehaving pup.

When Azula turned around, she found Izumi gazing out over the throne room with her head held high, as though she were Fire Lord herself, holding court. Azula had no doubt that that was exactly what was going through her daughter's head—Azula herself had been unable to resist the throne's pull, and had skived off her tutors more than once to clamber into the great seat, trying to imagine what it might be like to be ruler of all she surveyed.  _ Rather less freedom, and rather more absurdity than I imagined,  _ the alpha thought, irony quirking up the corners of her mouth.

She made certain to hide the evidence of her private amusement before calling out, “Well, what do you have to say for yourself?”

As though only just now realizing that her sire was still present, Izumi jumped a foot in the air, and Azula was hard-pressed to stifle a chuckle. But she managed to keep her face firm and serious as she strolled up to her throne, meeting her pup’s wide-eyed gaze. She was already familiar with many of the tactics Izumi was sure to try in order to squirm out of punishment. They were the ones she herself would have used. But when her omega daughter opened her mouth, Azula decided to head things off at the pass before Izumi could get herself into further trouble. “And just so you know, your lies have already cost you a week of dessert. If I hear any more of them, it’ll be two.”

Izumi’s lip wobbled, her eyes filling, and while ordinarily Azula would have rolled her eyes and told her to cut the catgator tears, in this instance she suspected they were real. Izumi only had one weakness, and that was her truly monstrous sweet tooth.

***

"At least she  _ has  _ a weakness,” Ty Lee said after Azula finished recounting the discussion.

Azula snorted in agreement. “That's true. If she didn't, she’d have the kingdom conquered by the time she’s twelve.”

The two of them were walking down the corridor together, preparing to return to their chambers early—and Azula already had plans for when they arrived. With the pups confined to their rooms after that afternoon's antics, she and Ty Lee were due to pick up where they had left off that morning. Just the memories were enough to send a shudder coursing down Azula's spine. She could still recall with perfect clarity the way Ty Lee's hand had felt wrapping around her shaft, the soft brown of her mate's eyes, the way she had smelled...

"...Azula, are you listening to a word I'm saying?"

Azula blinked rapidly, trying to get a grip on herself. Though she breathed in deep, the scent-memory refused to fade. She came to a stop, gently taking Ty Lee's arm in her hand and turning her mate toward her. Without a word, she leaned close, inhaling beside the curve of Ty Lee's neck. Immediately, the omega's scent flooded her nose, lighting up her senses and sending a jolt straight between her legs. Her length stirred, beginning to swell.

"What are you doing?" Ty Lee asked, a slight tremble in her voice.

Azula didn't answer the question. Instead, she wrapped her arm around Ty Lee's waist, drawing the omega close. Their curves melted together perfectly and Azula's cock gave another pulse of need. "You're coming up on your heat, aren't you?" she purred, her lips a mere inch away from the crook of Ty Lee's throat. Unable to resist temptation, she pressed a kiss to the faded white scar there, enjoying the way her mate's pulse throbbed.

"Not for a few more days," Ty Lee protested, but she wasn't at all convincing. When Azula took a step forward, pressing her into the wall beside one of the nearby tapestries, Ty Lee didn't protest.

"A few more days..." She took another deep breath, drawing Ty Lee's scent deep into her lungs. "Perhaps. But you smell like you need me sooner than that."

Ty Lee didn't deny it. She gave a full body shiver, more than strong enough for Azula to feel where they were touching. Ty Lee's soft hands wrapped around her torso, roaming over the muscles of her back. "We should get back to our room then, shouldn't we? I do want to finish what we started this morning..."

A wicked thought popped into Azula's head, and though her first instinct was to dismiss it, she couldn't force it out of her mind. She didn't want to go back to their room. She didn't want to wait. Ty Lee was already in her arms, warm and willing, and it had been a while since she'd had the pleasure of pinning her consort to the wall while they mated.

However, she knew better than to ask right away. Ty Lee  _ might _ agree, but it wouldn't hurt to give her a taste of what she would be rewarded with first. Azula took her lips in a slow, deep kiss, one with plenty of tongue. Tasting Ty Lee was even better than smelling her, and when the omega whimpered and opened to allow her more access, Azula took full advantage. Her hands began to wander from their grip on her mate’s hips, roaming along her slim sides and firm belly. She could feel Ty Lee’s breasts heaving where they were pressed against her own, and a compulsion built in her to touch them.  _ Well, and why not? She’ll need to learn what she’s in for eventually…  _ Azula knew that as soon as Ty Lee felt her there, the omega would know what she intended—and she would be able to decide whether or not she was ready.

Decision made, Azula allowed her hand to slide down to the hem of Ty Lee’s shirt, and up under it. The moment her fingers touched the smooth, quivering skin of her stomach, her mate let out a gasp into her mouth, but didn’t protest. Encouraged, Azula kept going, creeping steadily upwards until she was cupping one of the omega’s breasts. With a muted rumble, she moved from kissing Ty Lee’s mouth to nipping and sucking at her neck, while at the same time giving the flesh in her hand a very firm squeeze.

Ty Lee gasped again and started trembling, and Azula froze, waiting to hear what her mate had to say. At first all that came out was her name, whispered hoarsely:  _ “Azula…”  _ She wasn’t quite sure whether that constituted trepidation or encouragement, so she brushed her thumb across the point of Ty Lee’s nipple. It stiffened instantly, pressing into her hand, and her pants suddenly felt a lot more constricting.

“Azula, we…we shouldn’t…”

The alpha let out a low growl against the place where she’d been worrying at the skin around Ty Lee’s mating bite. “Why shouldn’t we?” She punctuated her words with another generous squeeze, and suddenly she was the one gasping, on the verge of losing control: Ty Lee’s hips rolled against hers, seeking the hardness throbbing between her legs. Azula growled louder and began a steady grind, more than happy to give it to her.

“Because anyone could come along…anyone could see…”

“Let them,” the Fire Lord said, emboldened by the stream of gasps and low whimpers pouring out of her mate’s mouth. “What can they do? This entire palace is ours, to use as we please…” But she stopped just shy of making one of her typical proclamations of ownership. She wanted Ty Lee to know that she still had a choice in this. Instead, she pulled her head away from where she’d been suckling at the omega’s pulse point, drinking in the heady scent of her arousal. “They’ll see just how much pleasure I can give you. Just how much we need each other—so much that we couldn’t even wait to get to our room…”

There was still hesitation in Ty Lee’s bright blue eyes, and Azula hurried to soothe her fears with a kiss. “They’ll see me taking you against this wall,” she murmured against her mate’s lips, “but nothing else. Only my body moving with yours, and your face clearly showing your pleasure…”

She could tell the moment that Ty Lee gave in. A wave of arousal washed over her, making her head spin. “Spirits, you smell good,” she groaned hoarsely, “almost like you’re in heat already—”

“Enough,” Ty Lee said, one hand scrabbling at Azula’s belt while the other grasped Azula’s ass hard enough to make her hiss and jerk her hips. “Or are you all talk?”

Azula growled, brushing away Ty Lee’s fumbling hands and reaching for the ties that held her mate’s pants around her waist. “You know I’m not.”

“Then prove it,” were Ty Lee’s last words before Azula’s hand dipped into warmth and an ocean of slick.

The slippery heat that ran over her fingertips was all the encouragement Azula needed. She slid two of them inside of Ty Lee without any preparation at all, thrusting and curling as best she could in the confines of her mate's pants. When that didn't give her the leverage she wanted—when Ty Lee's moans were sweet but not sweet  _ enough— _ Azula shoved them down the rest of the way, letting them pool at Ty Lee's feet.

A blush tinged Ty Lee's cheeks, but Azula didn't give her time to overthink it. She started pumping her hand, letting her thumb come to rest on the stiff bud of Ty Lee's clit. It was already so swollen, and Ty Lee made the most delicious sounds when she rubbed the pad of her finger over it. Azula could tell she was trying to be quiet, especially when Ty Lee nuzzled into her shoulder, but she didn't allow the omega to stifle her cries.

"Don't," she muttered, taking Ty Lee's lips in another hot kiss and pinning her hard to the wall. "I want to hear your pleasure...and I think you want to be heard." At the glassy look in Ty Lee's brown eyes, Azula knew she had guessed right. Her mate was both intensely aroused and terrified of public displays like this, and it was her job to tip Ty Lee firmly over to the side of arousal.

She doubted it would be difficult. Ty Lee's tight inner muscles were already rippling around her fingers, and Azula suspected that if she sped up her rhythm just a little bit, she would have her lover coming in her hand in a matter of seconds. Instead, she deliberately slowed down, catching the swollen spot along Ty Lee's front wall without really pressing into it.

"You might not want to admit it, but this appeals to you." Azula gave another thrust for emphasis, relishing Ty Lee's soft wail and the way she worried her lip. "You enjoy the thought of being seen. Of having someone else watch me make you mine."

Ty Lee didn't answer. She bit her lower lip harder, averting her gaze and panting off to the side. Azula didn't let her hide. She took Ty Lee's jaw in her other hand, guiding her mate's face back toward hers. Ty Lee's dark eyes sucked in her, and for a moment, Azula forgot her train of thought. Only the next soft moan that broke in Ty Lee's throat and the throb it caused in her cock helped her remember.

"I won't do this against your will," she whispered softly. "In fact, I want to hear you beg for it. Admit that you want this, and I'll let you have my cock instead. It can stretch you further, fill you deeper..." She gave her fingers another push, causing Ty Lee's thighs to flex around her hand and more slickness to drip into her palm. "Mm. You're going to need my knot too. You're already so wet..."

"Just do it," Ty Lee hissed. She clutched the back of Azula's shirt hard enough for her nails to scratch skin through the fabric. "Please, Azula, fuck me—"

Azula didn't need any further encouragement. She opened her own pants, groaning with relief as she eased herself out through the front. Her shaft was already hard, with wetness pearled at the tip and pressure swelling in the base. She removed her fingers from Ty Lee's warmth, not even bothering to coat her shaft with the wetness dripping from them before she lined herself up. Her mate was more than ready.

It only took her one thrust to push the head past Ty Lee's trembling entrance. The omega was completely open to her, and Ty Lee's satin walls welcomed her inside, pulsing with every inch of shaft she buried. Once she was sure she wouldn't slip out, Azula hitched both of her hands beneath Ty Lee's knees. With a growl, she lifted Ty Lee higher on the wall and thrust her hips forward, pinning her mate in place and burying the rest of her length. Ty Lee's arms and legs wrapped around her instantly, locking their bodies together.

As soon as Azula's cock slid home, sheathed all the way inside of Ty Lee, her mate let out a hoarse gasp of  _ “Wait” _ and banged her weakly on the shoulder several times. Azula wasn’t certain whether it was because Ty Lee was afraid of pain if she started moving too quickly or whether she didn’t want to come too fast, but privately she figured it must be the latter. Her mate was so wet that she was dripping out past the base of Azula’s cock, and fluttering around her shaft so quickly that before long, she was herself in danger of spilling before she was able to give her mate the pleasure she deserved. Azula let out a quiet groan as she focused all of her attention on keeping her hips still.    
  
Even though it could only have been a few seconds, it felt like a million years before Ty Lee whispered softly, “Okay,” the gentleness of her words in sharp contrast with the firm, deliberate squeeze of her inner walls around Azula’s shaft. That snapped the last few tenuous shreds of the Fire Lord's control. Letting out a snarl, she thrust up into her mate brutally, punching a sharp cry out of Ty Lee’s mouth and making her throw her head back. Azula watched her anxiously to make sure that she hadn’t hurt herself, but when Ty Lee met her eyes, the omega's gaze was glimmering with lust. Azula felt like it ignited an inferno in her own body, and she gave in to her instincts to repeat the motion several times, harder with each thrust.    
  
“I was right,” she growled, resisting the urge to bury her teeth in the omega's neck in favor of maintaining eye contact. “You  _ are _ getting off on this. I've got you pinned on my cock, right where I want you, and the whole world could watch if they dared.”    
  
She punctuated each word with a thrust, harsher than the last, but Ty Lee took them with wails of pleasure and paid her back in kind by squeezing mercilessly with her inner muscles. Soon Azula was sweating, trying to hold in a groan every time she pushed into her mate's tight channel, and Ty Lee very clearly felt that she had the upper hand.   
  
“So what if I am?” she moaned, tipping her head back again and exposing her throat in clear invitation. Azula's jaws ached to take it, but she knew that if she did she would spill inside her mate within moments. “As you mentioned…oh,  _ yes _ Azula, right there…this whole palace is ours to make use of…”

Azula snarled again, but couldn’t think of a retort. All of the blood in her body felt like it had raced south. The only thing she could do was tighten her grip on Ty Lee's thighs and thrust harder.

Before long, she found her strokes curtailed. Ty Lee was so warm and wet and tight that her knot had started to inflate. The omega let out a delighted gasp as soon as she felt it pressing at her entrance, and angled her hips so that she could rub her clit against it when she met Azula's thrusts. Azula groaned, realizing helplessly that she had become nothing more than a vehicle for Ty Lee's pleasure, but she was too far gone to care. Her rut had taken over, and the only thing she could do was continue fucking her mate as hard as she possibly could.    


Azula's hips moved in a blur, thrusting viciously. She snarled from between clenched teeth, mouth watering at the mere thought of seizing Ty Lee's faded mating mark. For the first time, Ty Lee seemed completely willing to share in this fantasy of hers—the fantasy of claiming and being claimed, the fantasy of putting themselves on full display for anyone who cared to see.

Though she might have felt guilty for it under normal circumstances, Azula was too far gone to care. She surrendered to impulse, drawing on her imagination. Images of Ty Lee writhing against the wall were replaced with others—Ty Lee flat on her back, chained to an altar, legs spread and screaming. Screaming  _ her  _ name.

"Ah!"

Two shouts sounded at once, and despite the pleasure licking down her spine, Azula was forced to pause in surprise. One was Ty Lee's familiar whimper of bliss, but the other...the other was lower, and entirely different. A strange scent caught her nose—sweat, arousal, the stink of alpha. Threatening. Challenging.

Before she even tore her gaze away from her mate's quivering form, Azula could tell they were no longer alone. Eyes blazed into the back of her neck and the burned side of her face that held her scar. Someone had intruded. This fantasy, which was meant to be  _ only _ fantasy, had suddenly become far too real.

Her body stiffened and her eyes slid sideways. There, standing several yards down the hall, was a young alpha in the uniform of a palace guard. He trembled in his royal red and gold-trimmed armor, staring at her with wide, fearful eyes.

During the split second that she regarded him, Azula wasn't certain whether to be impressed with his courage or not. She couldn't tell whether he was unwilling or unable to move. He was completely frozen, and he withered on his next ragged breath as she sent a wave of her scent in his direction and bored into him with her eyes.

Fresh possessiveness surged through her, and she reacted on instinct. Though she made no move to shield herself from the guard's view, she shoved all the way into Ty Lee with one last thrust. Her knot sank easily past her mate's slick entrance, and a grunt punched from Azula's chest as Ty Lee's clinging warmth closed around it, sealing her in.

A scream burst from Ty Lee’s throat and then her inner walls went wild around Azula, squeezing her cock and knot relentlessly. The heat and pressure made her see stars, but somehow she was able to hold off her own pleasure long enough to look up at her mate. There was no way that the guard wouldn’t have heard her, wouldn’t have known exactly what had just happened: that the Royal Consort of his Fire Lord was coming, loud and hard. 

But to Azula’s astonishment and subsequent delight, there was no fear or worry in her mate’s eyes. In fact, Ty Lee wasn’t even looking at her. She was staring over Azula’s shoulder, gaze fixed on the young alpha behind them. A pretty blush was spreading across her cheeks, but the omega’s embarrassment at being caught was overshadowed by the other things Azula thought she could detect in her mate’s face and scent: defiance, pride, and a dizzying wave of desire. 

The thought that Ty Lee was enjoying this nearly as much as she was pushed Azula over the edge. With a possessive snarl, she leaned forward and sank her teeth into the curve of her mate’s shoulder, rutting into her as forcefully as the tie would allow. It only took a couple of thrusts before the pressure pounding along her shaft burst forth, shooting thick spurts of her come deep within the omega.

Ty Lee’s inner walls rippled even harder, and she muffled her groan by biting down deeper. She knew the pain and the possessive nature of the bite would drive her mate crazy, and she was right: Ty Lee let out an even louder cry, nails digging into Azula’s shoulderblades and tight channel squeezing around her knot. 

Her release seemed endless, and Ty Lee seemed determined to milk every possible drop of it out of her.  _ It’s almost like she  _ wants  _ me to breed her,  _ Azula thought hazily, in between the dizzying waves of pleasure that accompanied every throb of her cock. She knew the omega was taking birth control—a necessity, considering how active their sex life was—and she would never again even consider forcing Ty Lee to carry a litter, but she couldn’t help thinking about the symbolic purpose of the Festival. Filling her mate with her knot and her come was something she enjoyed regularly, but seeing her swell with their pups… If there was anything Azula allowed herself to be nostalgic for about their tumultuous past, it was that. 

She could feel Ty Lee’s belly swelling against hers with just how much seed Azula had pumped into her, and the sensation inspired her to release several more harsh spurts. Ty Lee threw her head back against the wall, her cries giving way to desperate whimpers as she clawed at Azula’s back. Her mate was still shivering around her, coaxing more and more out of her, and again Azula was amazed at just how much come Ty Lee’s slim body could hold...but then again, she  _ had  _ given birth to a litter of three, and that was just their first. 

_ I wonder how many will be in the second one,  _ she thought, pumping forward as she shot another jet of come into the omega.  _ Four, maybe even five… No, enough!  _ The thought was enough to clear her head abruptly, even though she hadn’t quite stopped coming.  _ She told me she’s not ready to get pregnant again. I need to stop thinking about it.  _ But Azula realized, with a sinking feeling, that the thought had taken hold of her, and she wouldn’t be able to stop imagining how their family might grow once more.

She could feel her orgasm tapering off, and even though Ty Lee was still clasping her knot tightly, she knew the omega’s was fading as well. That left their uninvited audience to deal with.  _ Voyeurism is all well and good,  _ she thought, the flames of possessiveness igniting in her again even as she let go of Ty Lee’s shoulder,  _ but if that guard’s still standing there when I turn around, I’m going to fry him to a crisp.  _ The young alpha appeared to have recovered his wits, however, and all that remained of his presence was the thick scent of fear. Azula allowed herself a smirk.  _ Good. At least I’ve still got it.  _

But she didn’t let herself revel in her ability to terrify her underlings for long; she was much more concerned about her mate. Turning back around to look at Ty Lee, she found the omega’s eyes wide and glassy, her pupils blown but staring into space as she panted heavily, attempting to recover her breathing.  _ Oh spirits, did I push her too far? I didn’t think anyone would actually stumble upon us without smelling us first.  _ A tendril of fear stabbed through her, and Azula nosed under her mate’s chin, letting out an uncertain rumble. 

“Ty Lee?” 

A moment later, the omega’s hands stirred, rubbing soothing circles across her back, and she looked up to see Ty Lee’s eyes coming back into focus. Her mate gave her a sleepy smile. “I’m all right. That was just...something.” 

“Indeed.”

Reassured that Ty Lee wasn’t upset by her display of possessiveness, Azula placed a tender kiss against the place she had bitten.

"Azula?"

"Hmm?"

Ty Lee's brown eyes focused on hers, and Azula felt her heart clench. When her mate looked at her this way, with such loving trust, she always felt wonderful and unworthy at the same time.

"You're thinking about something," Ty Lee said. "I can tell."

Azula sighed. There was no denying it. Her brother had even taken it upon himself to amend his childhood mantra upon his return to the Fire Nation:  _ 'Azula always lies... except to Ty Lee.' _

"I was thinking about our pups."

Ty Lee frowned. "What about them?"

"Not the three we already have."

Understanding dawned, and Ty Lee's cheeks tinged with a blush. "I know the Fire Nation expects more—"

"I  _ want _ more," Azula said. "But don't worry about the Fire Nation. It serves me, and I... I serve you." She kissed Ty Lee's lips softly, forestalling any more protests. "Your feelings matter in this too, and they have the same weight as mine."

Ty Lee didn't say anything, but that wasn't unusual. Despite her bubbly exterior, Azula knew her mate retreated into her own mind to think more often than most others knew. Friendly as she was, Ty Lee could be a very private woman when it came to personal matters. That was one reason the two of them had bonded in such difficult circumstances.

"Hold onto me," she whispered, tightening her arms around Ty Lee's midsection. "I don't feel like sharing you with anyone else today."

Ty Lee's willowy limbs wrapped around her, and Azula had little trouble carrying her down the hall. On the way, she couldn't help but notice the way Ty Lee's curves molded to hers. A perfect fit. Their bodies had always fit this way, even though their hearts had taken longer. Hers had still needed some time to grow.

"I want to do the ritual with you," Ty Lee said just before they arrived at their chambers (and Azula noticed with some wry amusement that they hadn't been that far from privacy after all).

"Want to, or will?" Azula asked, pausing in front of the door.

Ty Lee grinned. "Want to. I think I'm finally getting over my stagefright."

Azula licked her lips, remembering their encounter against the wall. "So it seems."


	7. Chapter 7

Ty Lee drew in a deep breath, grinning wide and clutching excitedly at Azula's hand. The bustling fairgrounds reminded her of her more pleasant memories of the circus, and she couldn't help but feel a bit nostalgic. The smell of sticky buns and fried snacks drifted by on the breeze, and cheerful music and shouts filled the air. She didn't even mind the dust that stained the bottom of her pants. Azula had wanted to take the palanquin, but Ty Lee had won that debate by doing little more than batting her eyelashes.

Their pups had taken her side, of course. They had been almost as eager to explore the fair as she had been, and none of Azula's grousing had dampened their spirits. Izumi marched in front, inspecting the snack carts with a critical eye. Behind her was Zha Xi, ever the loyal soldier. She had apparently forgotten her sister's betrayal and had taken it upon herself to act as a sort of guard, with Master Tigermonkey dangling precariously from one clenched fist. Taizo preferred to trail close by Azula, although he too was wide-eyed and keenly interested in his surroundings.

"How many people come to the festival, Father?" he asked.

"Daddy, can we get cotton candy?" Izumi whined at the same time.

"Several thousand, Taizo, and no, Izumi," Azula said. "You’re going to spoil your dinner."

"How many thousand?" Taizo asked, speaking a little louder to be heard over Izumi's complaining.

"But I'm hungry  _ now _ , though!"

"Just let her have some to share," Ty Lee said, giving Azula her sweetest look. "Cotton candy is one of the best parts of going to a fair."

Azula sighed, and Ty Lee knew she had won. Perhaps Izumi's manipulative streak didn't come entirely from her sire after all.

"Fine. Go and pick out some cotton candy—but only one to share between the three of you."

Izumi forgot her regal bearing and scurried off toward the nearest snack cart, with Zha Xi hurrying to catch up.

"She's just going to drop it," Taizo said, preferring to follow along at a more dignified pace.

"If she drops your share, I'll let you have one of your very own," Ty Lee promised him. She scooped her son up into her arms, bracing him against her hip and carrying him the rest of the way.

Though Taizo was content with the treatment, Azula looked at her strangely. "He's getting a bit big for that, isn't he, Ty Lee?"

"Not at all," Ty Lee said, deliberately ignoring the fact that her son's weight was putting some strain on her shoulder. Azula was right, but that didn't mean she was going to admit it.

_ Then again, they are getting older... _

She caught up in time to hear Zha Xi politely ask the man in one of the carts for, "One cotton candy, please," before Izumi chimed in with, "Pink! I want a pink one."

Her mind wandered back, unbidden, to her recent conversation with Azula in the hallway. As proud as she was of how quickly their pups were growing up, part of her did miss how sweet they'd been while they were small. At least, how sweet two out of three had been. Izumi had always been something of a handful, but that didn’t mean Ty Lee loved her any less. Still, despite the terrible circumstances in which they had begun, they had managed to become a loving, happy, if somewhat unconventional family. Surely it could only be a good thing if that family grew larger.

_ Enough!  _ Ty Lee told herself firmly.  _ That’s your heat talking.  _

But was it really? It was true that she did feel somewhat warmer than the day suggested,  and her silk top did feel a little itchy, but she didn’t feel the all-consuming emptiness and need to be claimed by her alpha that heralded the start of her cycle. She couldn’t help remembering the bright spark in Azula’s eyes when she’d spoken of having more pups, and it brought an echoing blush to her cheeks.

_ Your feelings matter in this too, and they have the same weight as mine,  _ she had said. That was a far cry from the circumstances under which their first litter had been conceived, and Ty Lee couldn’t help wondering if they didn’t deserve a new beginning: one that came from a place of love and trust, not fear and coercion. 

She was snapped out of her thoughts by Azula’s arm snaking around her waist. “I know that look,” her mate murmured, a grin curling at the corners of her mouth. “You’re thinking about last night, aren’t you?” 

Ty Lee could feel her cheeks getting even hotter, but she lifted her chin. Azula would have to work a bit harder than that. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“Liar,” Azula whispered in her ear, hand sneaking a bit lower. “I can always tell when you’re lying about this, because you blush so prettily. But even if you didn’t, I can still smell you…”

“Your Majesty, a word please!”

Azula let out a low growl before whipping her head around. “What is it, Bo? Can’t you see I’m busy?” 

The councilor was jogging towards them, puffing under the weight of his own bulk. He had a rather frantic look on his face, and Ty Lee had to stifle a giggle behind her hand—the picture he cut was rather comical. He reminded her of nothing more than an overstuffed dumpling, trotting after them on his rather short legs. 

“Your Majesty,” he gasped when he caught up to them, “I hate to interrupt but it is rather urgent…”

“Spit it out, then,” Azula snapped. “I don’t have all day. Obviously.” 

“It’s just that…” Bo cast an anxious look to the pups, who were squabbling over their cotton candy, then held out a polished golden cup, making Azula’s nose wrinkle in disgust. “Well, you see, the Dance of the Fire Seed is due to begin within the hour, and you...um...still haven’t made your...ah...deposit.” 

Bo looked so frantic, and Azula looked so furious, that Ty Lee had to bury her face in Azula’s shoulder to keep her laughter from spilling forth. The truth was, this wasn’t the first time that one of her mate’s councilors had come up to them at the festival. Each time, they had been forced, by the presence of the royal children, to come up with a new euphemism for what they hoped to collect: the grand prize of the festival’s crowning event, the Dance of the Fire Seed. Ty Lee was aware that Azula had been steadfast in her insistence that the prize this year would be hippo cows, but while the councilors had acquired a suitable herd, they were still incredibly emphatic for the Fire Lord to provide the traditional reward. 

“That’s enough,” Azula hissed, managing to keep one eye on her pups while glaring acidly at Councilor Bo. The older alpha trembled, but held his ground. 

“My Lord, if we do not present the victors of the Dance with their expected winnings, it may provoke unrest in some of the southern provinces…”

“I said  _ enough!”  _ Azula growled, loudly enough to attract their pups’ attention. Lowering her voice as they began to amble back over to their parents, she continued, “If one more of you comes to me with the same ridiculous request, I’ll cut off their knot and present it to those ridiculous peasants as the prize. Do you understand?” 

The safety of Bo’s knot had been threatened enough times by the Fire Lord that he ought to be used to it by now, Ty Lee reflected, but then Azula had a habit of upping the ante with her threats. As she watched him turn white and then green, she found herself taking pity on him. “Go get the pups and see if you can find Zuko,” she murmured in her mate’s ear, before turning to Bo. 

“But why?” Azula asked, in a voice that was half a whine. She clearly didn’t want to give up her hold on Ty Lee’s hip, if her flexing fingers were any indication. 

Ty Lee extricated herself from Azula’s hold with a gentle twist. “Meet me in the royal box under the big top and you’ll find out.” She put just enough teasing promise into her voice to make the alpha’s eyes darken in desire, but when Azula reached for her again she evaded her reach, swaying over to Councilor Bo. 

“Don’t worry about the Fire Seed,” she murmured in his ear, enjoying the way he trembled in her presence—out of fear, she suspected, both because of her reputation and also because he was terrified of what Azula might do to him. “I’ll make sure the Fire Lord makes her deposit.” She took the cup from his shaking hands and, after making certain that her mate was corralling their children adequately, sauntered off in the direction of the largest tent she could see rising high above the fairgrounds. 

* * *

"You really need to stop assuming I'm available to babysit anytime you want, Azula," Zuko muttered, wincing as Izumi pulled his hair. The pup was currently perched on his shoulders, attempting to use his ponytail as makeshift reins.

"Come on, Uncle, let's go! Carry me!"

"Uncle," Zha Xi said, tugging at Zuko's sleeve, "Master Tigermonkey wants to ride too." She held the toy up to him imploringly, and Azula couldn't help chuckling.

“What’s the matter, Zuzu?" she asked, taking the stuffed animal from Zha Xi and passing it into Zuko's unwilling hands. "Are three pups too much for you to handle?"

Zuko narrowed his eyes. "I'd say they're too much for  _ you _ to handle, since you keep leaving them with me."

"Uncle Zuko," Taizo said, taking Zuko's other sleeve in hand, "come on. The Dance of the Fire Seed is about to start!" Though the middle pup rarely raised his voice above a calm whisper, even he seemed excited at the prospect of seeing the acrobats perform.

"Just sit with them during the show," Azula said, turning and beginning to walk away before Zuko could continue to object. "Ty Lee is waiting for me in the Royal Box. I won't leave them with you again today—"

"Except for making me watch them all night," Zuko reminded her.

Azula halted her departure, glancing back over her shoulder. "Well, obviously. You agreed to that in advance."

"Just go," Zuko sighed, pinching his forehead in one hand while letting Master Tigermonkey dangle from the other.

"You should be grateful you aren't the one who has to perform the Fire Lord's ceremonial duties," Azula said. "Trust me, you would  _ not _ be envious of the things I've had to endure for the past few days. Remind me to tell you later what the original prize for the Dance of the Fire Seed was before I changed it."

"Original prize?" Zuko repeated, but Azula ignored the question in his voice. With a final wave goodbye to her pups, she hurried off toward the tent where the Dance was to take place—and where Ty Lee was undoubtedly waiting for her.

Walking as fast as she could without appearing unseemly, she made her way past several startled guards and through the back entrance. The rear of the tent wasn't open to the public, but she glimpsed a few performers putting the finishing touches on their costumes. Some gaped at her, open-mouthed, but Azula ignored them, making a beeline for the steps that led up between the ring of seats. There was only one performer she was interested in, and the show she most wanted to view was for her eyes only.

By the time she made it up to the Royal Box, a steady, aching pressure had started pounding between her legs. Ty Lee's scent was calling to her, and her mind jumped several minutes into the future. Hopefully they would have time for a quick but satisfying release to hold them through the rest of the afternoon. Otherwise, she would need to wait until the ceremony that evening—and thanks to the tent at the front of her pants, that wasn't an option.

The two guards standing at the entrance to the royal box saluted smartly as she arrived at the top of the steps, placing their palms over their fists and backing away from the door to let her in. She brushed past them without a word, letting the curtains swish shut behind her.

She was not at all disappointed in the sight that awaited her. Ty Lee was draped sideways across the cushioned bench, curves on full display. She still wore her usual outfit—a red variation of the pink pants and choli top Azula had first seen her in—but somehow, it did nothing to disguise the shape of her body, and only made the image more appealing. Azula licked her lips. Ty Lee's clothes were only good for one thing, and that was being ripped off.

Azula sauntered into the box, her smirk widening as she noticed the flush creeping up her mate’s collarbone and neck, the darkening of her eyes, the clear desire in Ty Lee’s scent—not quite as sweet as it would be when she was in her heat, but close. She felt her cock throb powerfully in her pants, and couldn’t see a reason for it to be restrained any longer. Her mate’s eyes followed her every movement as she reached down, undoing her laces with almost torturous slowness, although she couldn’t say for certain whether it was meant to be more torturous for herself, or for Ty Lee. The omega licked her lips as Azula drew herself from her pants, and the pull of her chi grew that much stronger. 

“So,” Azula said, keeping her voice low, “how do you want it? Shall I sit down so you can service me on your knees, or would you prefer to stay on that bench and let me fuck your throat?”

Ty Lee’s eyes gleamed at that last suggestion, and for a moment she appeared to be warring with herself, but then she stood and strolled over with an extra sway in her hips. Brushing aside Azula’s fingers, she wrapped her own around Azula’s aching shaft and gave it a gentle tug. “I was thinking you’d like to watch the festivities.”

Azula bit back a groan as her mate led her over to the bench by her cock. The prospect of being seated in her royal box, taking in the Dance of the Fire Seed while her mate pleasured her, made thin trails of fluid seep from her swollen head, running over Ty Lee’s fingers. But a nagging concern made her pause, even as the omega sought to draw her onward. Even though she wouldn’t trade her life and her family for anything in the world, sometimes she really hated that Ty Lee had awakened her nascent conscience and made her care about somebody other than herself.

“Wait,” she groaned, and then cursed internally as Ty Lee’s thumb rolled over her slit, gathering up more wetness and spreading it around. Spirits, how could she not have noticed how close she’d gotten already? “Don’t you want to see the show yourself?”

“Oh, I will,” Ty Lee said, her smile bright and yet somehow almost predatory—a look that was uncommon enough on her face for Azula to recognize as meaning that she was planning something. Her eyes narrowed, but before she could open her mouth to ask what her mate was doing, Ty Lee sank to her knees and pressed a wet, open-mouthed kiss to the head of her cock. Azula’s knees suddenly didn’t feel nearly as steady as they usually did, and so she sat.

Before long, her concerns about Ty Lee’s being able to see the Dance that she’d professed such excitement about, and her worry about what her mate might be up to, vanished in the waves of pleasure cascading through her body. The omega licked a stripe of heat all the way from the base of her cock to the tip before opening to engulf her in glorious warmth. Azula shuddered, digging her nails into the cushioned seat and clenching her jaw in an effort to keep the entire stadium from knowing just how good her mate’s mouth felt.

And by now, with the Dance so close, it was certain that a cry of ecstasy from the royal box would be heard by a critical mass of her subjects. From this vantage point, Azula could see the crowd beginning to fill the arena, everyone from commoners packing the ground floor to nobles in their private boxes, most of which were clustered close to hers but situated lower, emphasizing their lesser status. She could also see the performers gathering on the opposite side of the circle, milling about nervously near the herd of hippo cows that awaited the winners—

_ Wait a moment.  _

Up until this point, she hadn’t dared to look down at what Ty Lee was doing, afraid that if she did the moment would be over. She would spill everything she had into her mate’s willing mouth far too soon, jet after jet of her release pouring down the back of the omega’s throat...  _ Stop it,  _ she growled at herself.  _ Focus.  _ She looked down, and was nearly undone. Ty Lee’s head was bobbing over her lap, taking a little more of her shaft with each thrust. But as always, it was the omega’s soft brown eyes, gazing up at Azula with such love, such desire, that almost sent her over the edge. She had to squeeze her own eyes shut for a moment before she could reach out and tangle her fingers in Ty Lee’s hair, gently but firmly drawing her head back. 

The sensation of her cock slipping out of her mate’s mouth had Azula strangling a pitiful whine. She throbbed, little pulses spilling from her slit almost constantly, and she wanted nothing more than to pull Ty Lee close once more and let the omega’s lips close over her again. That was what her mate wanted as well, if those same lips, puffy with use but drawn down into an adorable pout, were any indication.

"Please, Azula," Ty Lee pleaded, wearing an innocent but bewitching expression on her face. Azula felt every word skim against her sensitive tip, carried by hot, teasing breath. "Let me taste you."

Azula choked down a growl. She knew she should question her bondmate more thoroughly, but she didn't have the wherewithal. All she could think of, all she cared about, was finding a way to ease the pressure pounding along her length. She gripped Ty Lee's braid and pulled the omega's mouth back down onto her cock, driving all the way into the soft, clenching muscles of her mate’s throat.

Ty Lee opened for her immediately. Azula gasped, tilting her head back as Ty Lee swallowed around the head of her cock, squeezing the sensitive tip. The base of her shaft started throbbing, and she raked her nails along Ty Lee's scalp as her lover's soft hands cupped her rapidly swelling knot. With Ty Lee's lips pressed against the top and soft fingers massaging the bottom, Azula was completely engulfed in warmth.

_ "Yes, _ " she rasped, clutching desperately at the back of Ty Lee's head. The rest of her words, one of the most potent sources of her power, had completely deserted her, and she could barely keep the needy noises Ty Lee was pulling from her to a reasonable level.

Ty Lee didn't leave her wanting. The omega's silky tongue slid up and down along the base of her shaft, even as her hands continued squeezing and her throat continued clenching. Azula had no idea how her mate was managing to breathe, but she didn't care. All she could think of was seizing the release hovering just within her reach.

She came with a roar, forgetting all about the show about to start and the other audience members in the rows below. Her knot pulsed, swelling to its full size, and all the pressure within burst free, rushing up along her shaft and flooding into Ty Lee's mouth.

Ty Lee moaned at the first splash of come, and Azula responded by jutting her hips upward. She couldn't bury herself any deeper, but that didn't stop her from trying—her instincts had taken over, and all she could do was groan and surrender to the steady pull of Ty Lee's lips and tongue.

Then, all of a sudden, the warmth of her mate's mouth retreated. Azula opened her eyes, her head snapping back up, but her noises of protest meant nothing. Ty Lee released her to the cool air, and Azula could only watch helplessly as the next several streams of her come shot across the omega's face.

Ty Lee didn't seem to mind. She bent down, removing one of her hands from Azula's knot and reaching between her own legs. At first, Azula thought her mate was pausing to touch herself, but before she could order Ty Lee to stop and finish what she'd started, her mate's errant hand reemerged—holding the same stupid golden chalice her advisers had been chasing her with for the past week.

Azula's eyes widened in shock. She opened her mouth, but all that came out was a long, loud moan as Ty Lee placed the cup beneath the twitching tip of her cock.

She was too far gone to protest. With Ty Lee's free hand still kneading the heavy bulge of her knot, and Ty Lee's tongue flicking out to lap at her sensitive slit in between spurts, she couldn't have stopped coming if she wanted to. She emptied herself into the chalice, hissing each time Ty Lee's tongue swiped over her.

Her peak lasted for an embarrassingly long time. It left her drained and slumped over on the bench as Ty Lee milked the last of her release into the cup. Just when Azula thought she couldn't possibly give anything more, Ty Lee's fist moved up along her cock, pumping the softening shaft and circling two fingers just beneath her swollen head. The slight tug on her hypersensitive skin coaxed a few more weak pulses from Azula's tip, and her vision began to blur as she watched them drip down into the chalice.

"You... tricked me..." she muttered, although she was far too exhausted to make her voice sound threatening.

Ty Lee's well-used lips twitched up into a smirk. "But you enjoyed yourself, didn't you?" She looked down into the cup, which was nearly full to the brim, with obvious pride. "Yes, you definitely did."

All Azula could do was groan and pant, attempting to recover the breath that Ty Lee’s fiendishly talented mouth had stolen from her. “I’m not doing it,” she said weakly, but her mate just gave her a look that was firm yet loving. 

“Just don’t think about what’s in the cup,” she said, while swinging the hinged lid over the rim and latching it in place. “Think about how it got there.” 

“You’ll pay for this later,” Azula promised, but if anything that just made Ty Lee’s grin widen.

“I’m looking forward to it,” she murmured, rising to her feet. Then, with a kiss to Azula’s temple, she sauntered out of the royal box, leaving the Fire Lord still attempting to recover her wits as drums sounded, calling the first contestants to the stage. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ritual begins!

Ty Lee practically skipped down the stairs from the royal box. When she saw the cluster of advisers waiting for her, their expressions ranging from intensely nervous to outright panicked, she couldn’t help smirking a bit. Almost as one, their eyes widened as they caught sight of the cup in her hand. 

“Is that…?” said Counselor Bo, sounding almost awed. 

“Yes it is,” Ty Lee replied, handing it over. 

“But we’ve been trying to convince her for weeks,” he said almost reverently as he took the cup. “How did you get it?” 

His voice trailed off as he realized what he’d said, and Ty Lee had to curtail the impulse to roll her eyes. His fellow counselor—a female beta whose name Ty Lee thought was Lia—was not so charitable. “It’s all right,” she said, patting him on the arm as they began to walk away. “I know it’s been a while since your wife was in the mood to convince you to give her a similar...prize...so it may be hard to remember how that works, but…”

A fit of giggling overtook Ty Lee, making her miss the remainder of the counselor’s words, but the thunder of the drums and the sound of the shamisen tuning up spurred her to return to the royal box. The Dance of the Fire Seed—an event she’d been hoping to see ever since she was a pup—was about to begin, and she was going to watch it from the best seat in the house. She was going to have to share that seat with a moody Fire Lord, but Azula’s scent had told Ty Lee that she wasn’t truly angry. 

A shiver ran through her body, but it wasn’t one of fear. She couldn’t help imagining that ways in which her mate would keep her promise to make Ty Lee pay for her trickery. She could feel herself start to trickle gently into her underwear at the thought: Azula’s hands, rough and greedy, grasping her hips hard enough to bruise; the alpha’s shaft hot and hard as it pushed into her with one thrust; her mate’s filthy words and harsh snarls as she used Ty Lee’s body for her pleasure…

Ty Lee stumbled as she reached the top of the stairs, her legs suddenly feeling a lot less steady than they had a moment ago.  _ Spirits, my heat must be close,  _ she thought, feeling the trickle becoming a flood as need swelled in her belly. The nervousness she felt when she thought about what was going to happen that night was steadily being replaced by anticipation so heady that it verged on desperation. All at once she wasn’t sure whether she’d be able to wait until the ritual that evening to feel her mate inside of her. 

So caught up was she in her feverish daydreams that Ty Lee hardly realized she’d reached her destination. She was brought abruptly back to the present when a pair of warm arms slipped around her waist and pulled her down into Azula’s lap. Her mate was  _ very  _ aware of what she was thinking, if the hardness pressing against her rear and the pleased rumbles emanating from Azula’s chest were any indication. “You’re close, aren’t you?” the alpha murmured, her lips brushing Ty Lee’s ear and making her shiver. 

“Yes,” she found herself whispering, although she was sure that if the hand wandering along her inner thigh got higher she wouldn’t care who might happen to hear her. 

“Making me come got you wet, didn’t it?” Azula asked. The promise in her low voice sent shudders running through Ty Lee’s entire body, and all she could do was nod. “But you didn’t get to come yourself,” the alpha said in a tone that could be mistaken for pity. Ty Lee knew better, but that didn’t stop her from spreading her legs just a bit more, silently pleading for Azula’s hand to reach her center. As much as she wanted to feel the thick press of her alpha’s cock inside of her, she was so needy and throbbing that she would be more than satisfied with a finger circling her clit. 

But to her disappointment, Azula’s fingers didn’t venture any closer to where she wanted them, meandering away to trace maddening trails along other, less sensitive parts of her body. “Too bad,” the Fire Lord said, and Ty Lee nearly sobbed at the grin in her voice. “You’re just going to have to wait until tonight. That’s your punishment for taking my come without permission.” 

She let out an embarrassingly loud whine, attempting to shift in Azula’s lap in search of friction, pressure,  _ anything _ , but the alpha’s grip and chi were firm. “No, none of that. You did this to yourself and now you’re going to have to deal with the consequences.”

Ty Lee whimpered, but settled into her mate’s embrace. She was certain that Azula would be doing all she could to torture her over the next few hours, but as painful as it would be to endure, she was also grateful. She suspected that she’d be in a state of such severe arousal by the time the ritual started that she would hardly notice or care that there was anyone besides them in the whole world.

But it wasn’t just that. Her mate’s obvious desire for her, and the effort she was putting into turning Ty Lee into such a needy mess, was oddly comforting. It proved that Azula didn’t simply think of her as a receptacle for her release, an omega to conquer and claim, a possession she could use to display her dominance and virility. When all of this was over, her mate would still love her, care for her, and want to raise a family with her. Despite the lingering tingle of nervousness at the back of her neck and the low throb of her impending heat, she felt better about what was going to happen tonight than she ever had. 

In the midst of her haze of desire, however, the reminder that Azula was hers just as much as she was Azula’s cleared away her confusion on something she’d been turning over and over in her mind ever since the Fire Lord had first told her about the ritual’s purpose. With that in mind, Ty Lee made a decision. 

***

The rest of the afternoon passed in a delightful blur. Although Ty Lee very much enjoyed watching the acrobats perform their routines, gasping and clapping along with the rest of the crowd, she found it difficult to concentrate. She felt as though she were floating, or as if she had downed several cups of sake at once. Every inch of her skin felt flushed, and each time she inhaled Azula's scent or one of her mate's hands caressed her exposed midriff, the rest of the world seemed to fade out of existence.

She was yanked back to reality twice—the first time when the Fire Seed was presented to the winners in its golden chalice, because she could practically feel the scorching heat of Azula's indignation passing from the alpha's body to hers; and the second time when her pups came up to join them in the Royal Box. The arousal coursing through Ty Lee's body was muted as she embraced her children and listened to their excited chatter. Apparently, they had enjoyed the Dance as much as she had—and she shuddered when Azula whispered in her ear: "They do take after you, don't they?"

Ideas swirled in her head—heat-fueled fantasies that would have frightened her a few weeks ago, but left her sweating and trembling now.

Luckily, Zuko took pity on her. He must have smelled her desperation, because he ushered the pups away after they received the proper amount of hugs and kisses.

"Enjoy your evening, Zuzu," Azula said, her lips barely grazing the back of Ty Lee's shoulders as they curved in a narrow smirk.

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Don't enjoy yours too much." He glanced at Ty Lee and gave her a more genuine smile rather than a sarcastic one. "I hope  _ you _ have a lovely evening."

"Thank you, Zuko," Ty Lee murmured, while Azula scoffed.

"Stop flirting with my mate and leave before I banish you again."

With Zha Xi on his shoulders this time and Izumi and Taizo's hands in his, Zuko departed, leaving Ty Lee alone with Azula's maddening scent and wandering hands.

"It's almost time," Azula whispered. "Are you ready?"

Ty Lee could only whimper. Without her children and brother-in-law to distract her, her desperation had come back full force. She was no longer afraid, simply needy. "Azula, please..."

"I already told you no," Azula said, untangling from her arms and leaving the bench. Ty Lee hissed in agony as their skin parted. "The two of us need to get ready."

'Getting ready' involved a form of torture that was almost as unbearable as being trapped in the Royal Box with Azula. Fully in the grip of her heat, Ty Lee submitted meekly to the omega servants who escorted her to the royal baths. Though they tried to be gentle, being scrubbed and plucked and primped was agony. The only hands Ty Lee wanted on her were Azula's. The only warmth she craved was Azula's mouth, Azula’s skin against hers. The lapping of the water didn't satisfy, and only served to tease.

"My apologies, Lady Ty Lee," one of the omegas said when she let out what must have been a particularly pitiful whimper. The servant's fingers sifted through her hair in an effort to dry and re-braid it, and she couldn't help imagining Azula's hands grasping the back of her head instead.

"Best not touch her," one of the older servants murmured. "She's a furnace."

"But the Fire Lord requested she be given a robe—"

Had she been in full possession of all her faculties, Ty Lee would have been touched by her mate's consideration. It was sweet of Azula to think that far ahead, to make sure she would be covered until the very last moment for her comfort. But in the sweltering heat that surrounded her, she almost wanted to refuse the offer. Just the thought of fabric made her skin ache—and she had no idea how she would handle the manacles waiting for her.

Ty Lee shuddered. The thought, terrifying only a few days before, was now enticing. She would be bound, spread, completely at Azula’s mercy...

She didn't have the will to resist as they slid her arms through the red and gold robe's sleeves, though, either, nor did she protest as they tied the soft cord around her waist. As they shepherded her out of the bath, barefoot and dripping from between her legs even though the rest of her had been toweled dry, it was all Ty Lee could do to stay upright. Her knees were weak, and she was fairly certain the moment she saw Azula again, she would drop straight down onto them.

Getting into the palanquin waiting for her outside of the palace was something of a nightmare. It held traces of Azula's scent, still powerful and demanding, and she almost stumbled in her effort to rush toward it. Her heart sank when she found it empty, even though she'd known she would. Some impossible part of her had hoped.

_ Soon, _ she tried to tell herself.  _ You'll be near her soon. _ It had only been a little over an hour, perhaps closer to two, but Ty Lee felt as if she and Azula had been separated for a century at least.

She spent most of the ride over to the amphitheater shifting and squirming, trying to get comfortable and failing miserably. The emptiness within her was growing by the second, to the point where her eyes had begun to blur with tears. Her hands clenched, trying to find something to do other than delve between her legs—and it was a temptation she barely resisted. She only managed because she knew it wouldn't satisfy her anyway. Only Azula could do that. Azula, her alpha, her mate, who was waiting for her...

But Azula was not the only one. Dimly, she heard the noise of a crowd from beyond the curtains of the palanquin, but it sounded like the distant roar of the ocean. Ty Lee had spent the past several weeks terrified about being chained and put on display before an audience, but now, she couldn't find the strength to care. In her current state, she would gladly bend over and present before the entire kingdom if it meant Azula would thrust inside of her, even just once.

The noise faded even further, and the palanquin came to a stop. A servant drew back the curtains, and Ty Lee blinked as she found herself in a dimly lit waiting area. Though she had never been, she recognized it—this was one of the side rooms that led into the palace's large amphitheater itself. Agni kai combatants typically waited on opposite sides of the arena before entering and making their bows.

Ty Lee's heart rate spiked as she looked at the door. Soon, her mate would be within reach at last. But first, she needed to make it across the arena—with the eyes of the Fire Nation on her. 

A drum began to beat, a low, steady throbbing sound that she could feel right between her legs. She felt so empty, so needy, and the pulsing sound seemed to make it worse. She was surprised she wasn’t dripping on the floor. 

She felt a hand at her elbow, and looked down to see Lo, one of the pair of twins who would be the masters of tonight’s ceremonies. It was hard to tell, given how wizened the old woman’s face was, but Ty Lee thought she could detect a sympathetic glint in Lo’s eye. “Are you ready, Lady Ty Lee? The Fire Lord awaits you.” 

Ty Lee’s only conscious thoughts were for Azula—how much she needed Azula, needed her mate near her, above her, within her—and for a moment she couldn’t think how to answer Lo’s question, but the other woman’s mention of the Fire Lord served to focus her. Ty Lee nodded mutely, not trusting her own voice. She strongly suspected that if she attempted to speak, all that would come out would be a needy whine. Seeming to glean some of this, Lo signaled for the guards to open the arena door. Then, keeping one hand on Ty Lee’s elbow to steady and guide her, she began walking the omega across the arena sands.

As soon as she stepped through the gate, the crowd roared with one approving voice. Suddenly Ty Lee was beset with eyes on her from all sides. Her face burned as she imagined what they must be thinking, what they must be eagerly looking forward to seeing. The robe around her shoulders felt utterly useless. It was as though they were already undressing her with their eyes. 

But as they approached the tall platform that had been erected in the center of the arena, holding a large stone altar, one figure stood out, already-bare skin gleaming in the moonlight. Ty Lee’s eyes widened, even as her focus narrowed. 

_ Azula.  _

Ty Lee’s knees were unsteady, threatening to fold up under her, but the sight of her mate, standing tall and proud, watching her approach with obvious lust, served to steady her. Azula was waiting for her, wanting her. Azula would be here with her every step of the way. Azula would protect her, no matter what happened. Considering the way their relationship had begun, it was strange that such a thought would be comforting to her, but at this point it was the only thing keeping her on her feet.

_ Just a few more steps. Only a little longer, and I’ll be with Azula, touching Azula, feeling Azula inside me…  _ The thought made a little moan escape her lips, but either the drums concealed the sound or Lo was kind enough not to mention it. 

There was a set of steps leading up to the platform, and Ty Lee almost thought she wouldn’t make it, but she did, leaning heavily on the old woman’s arm. And then she was there, standing high above the arena where Azula had fought and nearly died to win her crown, and to save their lives. Li was standing beside the Fire Lord, and as soon as they’d reached the top of the stairs Li hastened to join her, leaving Ty Lee to support herself. But all Ty Lee could focus on was her mate, on the desire in the alpha’s eyes, the hands reaching for her. 

Azula took hold of her hips and drew her into a deep kiss, ignoring Lo and Li’s protests and the crowd’s roar of surprise. Ty Lee was instantly lost in the feeling of her mate’s lips on hers, kissing her like she wanted to devour her. Everything faded away in comparison to the way Azula felt pressed against her, cock fully hardened and throbbing against her belly. In a hazy way, Ty Lee was comforted by it: she thought it entirely possible that once they had begun, she would be so fixated on the things Azula was doing to her, the sensations she was drawing from Ty Lee’s body, that she wouldn’t even notice they had an audience. But eventually Azula pulled away, a smirk curling up her lips. 

“I guess I wasn’t supposed to do that,” she murmured, looking inordinately pleased by the prospect. From what Ty Lee could remember of what Azula had told her about the origins of this ritual, that made sense. If all you were looking for was a bitch to breed, to prove your virility for the entire Fire Nation, what purpose would there be in kissing? But while many of the ritual’s elements would remain the same, Azula had promised her that they would be doing things a bit differently this year.

“Are you ready?” Azula asked, low. It took everything Ty Lee had to nod instead of simply dropping to her knees or throwing herself across the altar and presenting. She was so empty and open, she needed to be filled so badly, all she could think about was how much she wanted Azula’s cock in her, knot sealing her entrance, filling her with seed…

“Let’s begin,” Azula said, turning to Li and Lo. The twins nodded, then raised their hands. The drums stopped, and the roaring of the crowd died away; a hush fell over the arena, practically throbbing with anticipation. Ty Lee felt more exposed than ever—but then Azula’s hands were at her waist, tugging gently at the knot that held her robe closed. Her hands moved with infinite slowness and there was a question in her eyes:  _ Are you ready? Can you do this? _

In that moment, Ty Lee didn’t doubt that if she shook her head or displayed even the tiniest hint of fear, Azula would be willing to call the whole thing off and deal with the consequences—but Ty Lee didn’t want that. 

  
“Yes,” she rasped, and then out of pure need, she added, “Please…”


	9. Chapter 9

Azula’s hands flew over the knot of Ty Lee’s robe, then moved up to her shoulders to tug it off. The moment it fell away, the drums struck up a frantic rhythm, and the crowd roared its approval. Ty Lee’s cheeks burned, and she felt a momentary urge to rush forward and bury her face in Azula’s shoulder. But she resisted, and it soon passed. There were hundreds of eyes on her, but only one gaze mattered: Azula’s. It held a familiar expression that both soothed Ty Lee and sent a bolt of desire straight between her legs: appreciation, possessiveness, and so, so much lust… 

Ty Lee couldn’t help the whimper that escaped her lips, and neither could Azula keep herself from grasping Ty Lee’s hips even tighter. Their bodies were a perfect fit, and Ty Lee shuddered with relief as well as want. Feeling Azula's bare flesh against hers was utter bliss, but it wasn't enough—not nearly.

That was why she whined in disappointment as Azula parted from her and delivered her into Lo and Li's hands. Theirs was definitely not the grip Ty Lee wanted, and she would have snarled at them and tried to pull away, to rush back into the safe circle of Azula's arms. But Azula's chi was all around her, insistent, demanding, and Ty Lee's instincts told her that she needed to obey.

She allowed the twins to lead her to the altar. It was more of a stone table, really, positioned at waist height, and in the torchlight, Ty Lee could see the gleam of metal chains. She gasped sharply, toeing the fine line between arousal and fear. Though she trusted Azula, this was a stark reminder of what the ritual was—complete submission, willing or not.

Ty Lee closed her eyes. Azula had bound her in chains, that first night...

The brief battle within her lasted only a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity. She lifted her head, seeking reassurance from Azula, and what she saw affirmed her trust. Though the alpha's eyes burned with hunger, her lips held a soft smile—not her usual smirk, or even a fiendish look of delight at someone else's misfortune. It was tender, and genuine, and reserved only for her.

"How would you like her presented?" one of the twins asked.

"All fours is traditional," the other said.

Azula did not take the suggestion. Instead, she looked to Ty Lee with a question in her eyes.

It took Ty Lee's foggy mind a moment to understand that her mate was allowing her to choose. Heat-fueled images flashed through her head—Azula bending her over the altar, Azula forcing her onto her hands and knees, Azula driving into her from above...

It was only Ty Lee's intense desire to see Azula's face while they were joined that allowed her to summon words. "On my back," she whispered, pleading. She didn’t care how similar this situation was to the night Azula had purchased her. She would do anything to gaze into her mate’s eyes.

Azula’s eyebrows rose, but she did not object. "On her back," she told Li and Lo, "limbs spread."

It was the alpha's words that gave Ty Lee the courage to stumble along between her guides. She made it the few steps to the altar, shivering as the cold stone touched her spine. For a moment, she regretted her decision. In this position, she was extremely exposed. Azula's body could only do so much to cover hers.

The crowd seemed to approve. There was a rising swell of gasps, although that could have been because of the unusual choice in position.

Ty Lee bit her lip, waiting. Then it came—the cool click of metal circling her ankles. Lo and Li’s shadows glided along opposite sides of the altar, and Ty Lee felt them raise her arms above her head to repeat the process. She resisted the impulse to squirm and test the length of the chains. Comfort would only come once Azula stretched out on top of her and pushed inside her.

* * *

Azula dug her nails into her palms, fighting the urge to tear Li and Lo away from her mate and throw them down the stairs. Her advisers, she knew, were no threat, but that was small comfort. The only hands that should be on Ty Lee were  _ hers _ . This omega's body was hers to touch. Hers to hold, to mark, to fuck. Her spine remained stiff and her lips peeled back over her teeth until both advisers had finished securing Ty Lee's chains and stepped well away.

As soon as they retreated, Azula rushed forward to stake her claim. Ty Lee's scent was calling to her, and she was compelled to answer. She stopped before Ty Lee's feet, gazing up along her mate's lean body. Even after bearing her three children, the omega's stomach was still flat and muscular. Resting on her back, her full breasts seemed smaller, but her nipples had gathered into tight peaks that strained against the air. And between her legs...

A low growl rumbled in Azula's throat. She could smell Ty Lee's desire even without looking, but it was visible too. Wetness shone between her mate's legs, dripping down from her thighs and onto the stone beneath her.

Azula licked her lips. According to tradition, she was supposed to start with Ty Lee's mouth. The Fire Lord was expected to force their mate to service them—a symbol of their dominance. Some of the peasants even believed the length of the act corresponded to the health of the following year's pups, or some such nonsense.

_ If that’s true, they’re going to be sorely disappointed. _

She crawled onto the lower half of the table, allowing Ty Lee’s scent to draw her in. Noise swelled from the crowd again, mostly whoops and cheers, but they tapered off as Azula made her intentions clear. She ran her hands along Ty Lee’s long, beautiful legs, gazing down into her mate’s glistening brown eyes.

“I’m going to taste you,” she said—in a voice meant only for her mate. It was both a demand and a request, and one Ty Lee had not expected, judging from the way her lips parted in surprise. A loud moan spilled from between them, one that sent a heavy throb of heat straight to Azula’s straining shaft. 

Azula tried to wait patiently for an answer, but she couldn’t resist stealing a taste of Ty Lee’s skin. She began with her mate’s neck, leaning down to brush wet kisses along the graceful line of Ty Lee’s collarbone. She paused at her mating mark, studying the thin white imprint of her teeth with pride before kissing there too. As soon as her lips made contact, she felt a bolt of electricity run through her body—and from the way Ty Lee jerked against her bonds, her mate had felt it too.

Grinning, Azula pulled back, taking a moment to enjoy the way her mate’s body arched up towards her in protest. Stretched out like this on the cool stone surface, Ty Lee was laid entirely bare for her pleasure. Her chest heaved with tiny stifled whines, her nipples stiff and pleading to be tweaked by Azula’s fingers or lashed by her tongue. Her flat stomach rippled every time Azula’s skin brushed hers, and the scent rising from between her legs was heavenly, but it was Ty Lee’s eyes that captivated Azula more than anything else. They were wide and dark, boring into her own. 

At first the whole tableau reminded her uncomfortably of their first night together—Ty Lee splayed out in a similar manner, bound to her bed by chains, her heat making her eyes glaze over with frightened desire. Azula sucked in a breath, but before guilt could consume her she realized the difference. Tonight, there was no fear in Ty Lee’s eyes, no uncertainty. There was only lust in her gaze, desire in her increasingly loud whines, and need throbbing in her scent. 

_ And it’s all for me.  _

Azula let out a low growl, abandoning her restraint. She climbed onto the stone altar properly so she could kneel over her mate and pepper her skin with kisses and increasingly hard nips. She could see some of the bite marks bruising in the moonlight, and she felt a shiver of smug glee run through her at the thought that Ty Lee would wear them tomorrow, a visible reminder to all who saw her that the omega was  _ hers,  _ had been claimed and knotted and taken before the entire nation. 

The thought served to remind Azula of her purpose. She moved down Ty Lee’s body steadily, leaving marks and eliciting moans and pleas as she went. She spent as long as she possibly could on Ty Lee’s breasts, lashing the nipples with her tongue and worrying at the tight points with her teeth, but the omega’s scent and increasingly desperate sounds spurred her on. After leaving a matching set of deep purple bite marks along the curve of each breast, she continued lower.

Azula enjoyed how Ty Lee’s body shivered every time her lips touched the omega’s stomach, or her nails scraped her mate’s sides, but the call of her mate’s heat was impossible to ignore. Before too long, she was kneeling at the base of the altar, mouth watering as she stared at the treasure between Ty Lee’s legs.

There was a sudden gasp as the crowd realized her intent, and Azula allowed herself a moment to gloat at their surprise, and at the fact that this prize was hers alone. Ty Lee’s lips were full and pouting open for her, slicked with copious amounts of wetness. Her clit was already hard, throbbing beneath its thin hood, and Azula’s lips ached to wrap around it and suck until her mate exploded in her mouth. Just below, she could see her mate’s entrance pulsing, begging for her fingers or tongue. 

She couldn’t deny either Ty Lee or herself any longer. Azula gave her mate’s glistening slit a long, luxurious swipe of her tongue, gathering as much wetness as she could and glorying in its taste. Ty Lee’s whole body shivered, practically convulsing by the time Azula got to her clit. She teased the tip a little before returning to the omega’s opening, lapping at the delicious flavor she found there. 

Before she could torment her mate any further, however, she heard one of the twins frantically squeaking, “But—Fire Lord Azula—it is not done!”

Azula’s head snapped up, giving the pair of them a furious glare. “It  _ is  _ done,” she growled, gesturing to her face, the lower half of which was covered in Ty Lee’s wetness. “See? I’m doing it right now.” 

“But it is not traditional,” Lo or Li protested. “The Fire Lord’s chosen partner is meant to pleasure him or her with  _ their  _ mouth, not...the other way around.” 

“Well, in case you hadn’t noticed, we’re doing things a bit differently this year,” Azula said, struggling to keep her voice calm. Her inner alpha was roaring at her to throw them off the platform—their idiotic interruptions were keeping her from her omega! But as she was about to do just that, Lo and Li ducked their heads, murmuring their apologies and stepping back. Azula couldn’t hold back a satisfied growl at their submission, but then a whimper of pure need reminded her of her purpose. 

_ “Azula…” _

Ty Lee was writhing in her bonds, hips jerking in a futile attempt to regain contact. Azula rumbled at her, forcing her to stop instantly, but the little shivers that ran through her body told Azula just how difficult it was for her mate to obey. With about half of an apologetic look, she bent her head once more, immersing herself in Ty Lee’s heat. 

Within seconds, Azula had forgotten about Lo, Li, and the entire crowd watching. Though offering her mate pleasure this way was seen as a submissive act, she felt anything but as she ran her tongue through Ty Lee's dripping folds. Her mate's taste filled her mouth again, warm and wet, and she moaned in response, thrusting forward in search of more. Ty Lee yelped, but judging by the way her hips were churning with what little range of motion they had, it wasn't in protest.

Azula was happy to indulge her. The river flowing from between Ty Lee's legs was growing stronger, and she searched for its source, circling her tongue around and around Ty Lee's opening before pushing inside and letting the omega's tight muscles clasp at the tip. Ty Lee's toes curled, and her legs went utterly stiff in their chains, and Azula could tell from her high-pitched whines that she was close to coming.

But there was no reason to make Ty Lee wait. Her mate was suffering, and she wanted nothing more than to ease her pain.

"Come," she muttered, growling the word into Ty Lee's lean thigh. "I want you to come for me."

Half way through the sentence, Ty Lee arched off the altar, screaming to the heavens and shaking wildly. Her inner walls convulsed, and Azula returned her mouth to her mate's pussy just in time to catch the rush of wetness that spilled out. It came in rapid pulses, but Azula latched her lips around Ty Lee's clit and held on, lashing the twitching bud with her tongue.

Instead of offering relief, her attention only seemed to drive the omega to greater heights. Ty Lee's scent gathered around them, growing even thicker and sweeter, and Azula felt the powerful shudders rolling through her mate's stomach with awe.  _ She _ had caused this, what looked to be one of the most intense peaks Ty Lee had ever given her, and her chest felt fit to burst with pride.

Rather than slow down, Azula increased her efforts. Sucking Ty Lee's clit even deeper into her mouth, she raked her nails up along the omega's thigh, giving her a moment of warning before introducing two fingers to the clenching ring of muscle at her entrance. Ty Lee was so slick that Azula was able to sink both of them inside at once, and she was rewarded with a high, sweet moan when she did. The omega's muscles squeezed hard around her, trying to pull her deeper, and Azula had to comply. She began fucking into Ty Lee with all the leverage she could, using her entire arm while her lips drew tighter and tighter.

Ty Lee came again, sobbing, stretching her chains to their very limit. Her orgasm tore through her body, causing every cord of muscle to strain, and heat rolled off her in waves, perfectly timed with the frantic pulsing of her inner walls. Azula curled her fingers, looking for the spot she knew so well, and Ty Lee's wails increased. The omega didn't have an ounce of shame left. She had surrendered completely to pleasure.

Azula broke away for a quick breath, prepared to repeat the process a third time, but Ty Lee started whimpering, gazing down at her with gleaming brown eyes. The expression on her flushed face could only be described as tortured. Withdrawing her fingers, Azula began kissing her way back up along Ty Lee's body, nipping at the quivering muscles of her abdomen and nosing the adorable dip of her navel before pausing at her breasts.

"Is this too much?" she asked. "Am I hurting you?"

"No," Ty Lee gasped. "No, not hurting... Azula, please..."

Azula smirked. She knew she must look a mess, makeup smeared and her face drenched with the evidence of Ty Lee's pleasure, but she didn't care. Her mate was looking at her like some sort of goddess—like she was the only one in the entire universe who could possibly end her suffering. It was a heady, powerful feeling, and the fact that hundreds of onlookers were around to witness it only made it more so.

"Please, what?" she said, even though she already knew.

Ty Lee's eyes swam with tears. "Please... please..." It was the only word she seemed able to manage, but Azula waited patiently. When her mate regained the powers of speech, the answer she gave would be worth waiting for.

At last, the omega finally cried out the words Azula wanted to hear. "Please, fuck me!"

Azula felt the request straight in her cock. The ache there swelled and swelled until her throbbing tip began leaking against Ty Lee's firm belly. She palmed one of Ty Lee's breasts, tweaking the stiff nipple and nuzzling into the crook of her mate's neck.

"Say it again," she growled, sucking the base of Ty Lee's throat. "Louder."

"Fuck me!" Ty Lee shouted, so loud her voice cracked. The crowd roared in lusty approval.

Azula wasn't sure she could have waited any longer if she wanted to. She slotted her hips between Ty Lee's spread thighs, dragging the head of her cock through the omega's soaked, searing folds. Her mate was so drenched that Azula was sure she could have just pushed in without any preparation at all, but the needy mewling sounds coming from Ty Lee’s mouth were so delicious that she couldn’t help herself. The omega’s entire body was shivering with want, her hips canting helplessly in search of Azula’s cock, but Azula relished the signs of Ty Lee’s desire, the whines and cries spilling from between her lips. 

_ They’re all for me…and so is this. _

The moment she fitted the head of her cock against the clasping muscles of her mate’s entrance, Ty Lee let out a wail. Previously the omega’s eyes had been squeezed shut, tears pouring down the sides of her face, but now they snapped open, boring pleadingly into Azula’s. There was nothing she could do against that look, against the relentless pull of her mate’s scent, the throbbing tide of her heat, and Azula was past wanting to resist. With a snarl, she drove her hips forward.

As often as she had experienced the sensation, Azula thought she might never get used to the feeling of Ty Lee’s inner walls spreading open to accept her cock. Her mate rippled greedily around each inch, as though glorying in the feeling while at the same time begging for more. The slick, tight heat that engulfed Azula took her breath away every time, making her simultaneously want to slow down and savor the moment and push the rest of the way inside. But now, with Ty Lee keening below her, canting her pelvis upward to take in even more of her, was no time for hesitation. Azula’s hips snapped, and she buried the rest of her cock in her mate’s pulsing center. 

Ty Lee screamed with satisfaction even as a fresh flood rushed out of her to coat the base of Azula’s cock. It was already throbbing heavily, heralding the inflation of her knot, and for a moment the alpha was lost in imagining the way it would feel sinking into Ty Lee, flooding her with her seed… But as delightful as that idea was, she wanted to get in a proper rut before it happened. Leaning forward and bracing her weight on either side of Ty Lee’s head, she ground out, “I hope you’re ready.” It wasn’t a question, only a warning. 

Ty Lee  _ was  _ ready, if her answering moan was anything to go by. Azula made an attempt to start out slowly, knowing her mate was probably sensitive, but Ty Lee’s increasingly desperate cries rapidly eroded her resolve. Her hips stuttered in the middle of her long, deep strokes, and she let out a warning growl. But Ty Lee was squeezing around her so tightly, and she was just so warm and so wet and so  _ ready,  _ begging with her eyes and her whimpers for Azula to let go, even if she couldn’t quite form the words.

The last of Azula’s reasons for holding back evaporated, as well as a good portion of her sanity. Her mate needed to be fucked hard and fast to satisfy the ache deep inside her, and Azula could no longer deny the omega anything. She pumped her hips hard and fast, rutting with every ounce of strength in her body.

Ty Lee trembled, limbs quivering within the confines of the chains. Her hips were in constant motion and her cries came louder and louder. Azula gritted her teeth, trying to prepare herself for the inevitable, but she still let out a snarl as Ty Lee's muscles clenched around her cock. She hadn't given her omega permission to come, but she didn't care—she wanted Ty Lee come for her, in front of all these people, as many times as possible.

Azula put extra force into her thrusts, trying to help her love along. Thanks to Ty Lee's greedy, grasping walls, it was agonizing to withdraw, but pushing back in was heaven. Ty Lee accepted every inch of her shaft, molding to its shape. Azula wished she could see her cock pumping in and out of her mate, but other, nearer sights were too distracting: Ty Lee's bouncing breasts and the pink flush spreading across them, the flyaway strands that had slipped from Ty Lee's braid, and the lovely curve of Ty Lee's throat. The mating mark against the base stood out, a thin white imprint in the moonlight.  _ Her _ mark.

Azula's own scar began to throb, but the pounding in her cock was much worse. Ty Lee's body seemed to be rolling through a series of shuddering peaks, each one stronger than the last, and her muscles squeezed tighter and tighter. The harder they clutched, the harder Azula's shaft pulsed. The base was full and heavy, while the tip twitched with weak spurts as she tried to stave off her own release.

It took an effort of will to keep her rhythm going. Every time the fire and silk between Ty Lee's legs swallowed her to the hilt, Azula was tempted to stay there, to rut forward even though there was nowhere left to go. Her mind was locked onto one thought, one goal:  _ Come. Fill her. Make her yours.  _ But when she came, that would mean knotting, and knotting would mean she couldn't thrust anymore. And thrusting into Ty Lee, splitting her open and hearing her cries, felt  _ so _ good.

"Azula!"

The sound of Ty Lee's wailing voice cut through the fog swirling inside Azula's head. Her mate shook wildly, her skin searing hot, not merely glistening but dripping with sweat. She was writhing through yet another orgasm, eyes scrunched shut, chin tilted back submissively to reveal her neck. Azula couldn't even recall how many times Ty Lee had come, but she knew another release wouldn't even begin to satisfy the omega's need. In the midst of a heat, nothing but a knot would do.

In desperation, Ty Lee seemed to regain more of her words. "Azula... Azula, knot me... please,  _ please _ knot me..."

Azula's cock responded. The base swelled, inflating so fast that it left her dizzy and threw off her rhythm. Nevertheless, she tried to force the growing bulge past Ty Lee's entrance before it reached its full size. Ty Lee's muscles stretched as best they could, and her eyes flew open, gleaming with watery tears. In a surge of possessiveness, or perhaps protectiveness, Azula latched onto her omega's bitemark, sinking her teeth deep into the old scar.

Ty Lee howled with a mixture of pain and pleasure. Her muscles loosened the slightest bit, allowing Azula to shove her knot past with a clicking pop before they snapped shut around the other side. Tied at last, the pressure racing along Azula's shaft became nearly unbearable. Her hips continued churning even though she had nowhere to thrust, but she held her release back, still selfishly unwilling to finish.

"Azula," Ty Lee gasped, damp, puffy lips skating against the hair that clung to Azula's sweat-soaked temple.  "Azula... have to... have to tell you..."

Azula growled in warning. She wasn't prepared to give any answer that required her to let go of Ty Lee's throat. Her omega's heartbeat was in her mouth, and she wouldn't give it up. Just to make sure Ty Lee understood, she gave her hips another hard push, causing the chains to rattle against the stone platform.

"Not... not going to take..."

Ty Lee's words splintered apart with each of Azula's thrusts, but she didn't care. She dug her fingers into Ty Lee's narrow hips, trying to get as much leverage as possible. Not that she needed it. Ty Lee's pussy was wrapped so snugly around her cock that she could hit every wall without even moving.

"Kajihana..."

Azula’s brain was so taken up with  _ mate  _ and  _ wet  _ and  _ rut  _ that it took her a long moment to understand Ty Lee’s words.  _ She’s not going to take her kajihana? But that would...That would mean that she… _

Azula’s eyes went wide. Suddenly she was the one struggling to maintain control, struggling not to fly to pieces. Only her mate’s grip around her straining cock and throbbing knot kept her from coming apart. “T—Ty Lee,” she choked out, but that was all she could manage. Her hips stuttered even as her entire body screamed for release. 

As though Ty Lee could understand what Azula was suddenly unable to articulate, the omega’s eyes flew open, boring into hers. There was passion, there was desire, there was desperation—but more than anything else Azula could see within them, there was so, so much love. 

Ty Lee leaned up as far as she could, straining against her bonds, to brush her mouth against Azula’s. The kiss nearly undid her, but somehow she managed to hold on until her mate’s lips moved to her ear, whispering six burning words: 

_ “I want you to breed me.” _

Azula exploded with a full-throated roar. The pressure building in her knot and racing along her shaft burst forth in powerful streams, filling Ty Lee with her release. She was utterly undone, totally incapacitated in the grip of her orgasm, her entire being focused on how good it felt to spill everything she had into her mate.

Ty Lee took it all, just as Azula had known she would, but she couldn’t remember the jets of come ever being this hard or this fast. She was aware of a hazy sense of amazement as the omega’s tight channel stretched to accommodate the immense volume of come, but soon it was swept away in the tide of bliss, along with everything else. 

At some point in the course of her orgasm, Ty Lee came again, her voice rising to twine with Azula’s, filling the air with the sounds of their joy in their shared release, in each other. Her inner walls fluttered wildly around Azula’s shaft, clasping her knot and coaxing even more to spill from her twitching tip. Ty Lee was relentless, determined to take as much of Azula’s come as she could give, maybe even more. Azula soon found herself gasping, arms trembling as she struggled to hold herself up. Ty Lee seemed to be drawing all of her strength, her power, her focus out of her cock—but the thought wasn’t an unpleasant one. 

_ She’ll be using all of that to make our pups…and they’ll have her intelligence, her grace, and her courage as well.  _

Azula could feel the Ty Lee’s belly swelling against her own with just how much of her release the omega held. The sensation, and the thought of how Ty Lee would look a few months down the line, swollen with her litter, made Azula groan and spill a few more pulses into her mate. Ty Lee took them all, moaning her approval and wordlessly begging for more by squeezing Azula’s knot. 

Their shared orgasm seemed to spiral on endlessly, sending them to greater and greater heights of pleasure. By the time it began to fade, Azula was almost relieved. She could honestly say she had never come so hard, or for so long, in her life. Her entire body was soaked with sweat, and from the slick glide of her skin against Ty Lee’s, her mate wasn’t faring much better. The omega’s eyes were squeezed shut once more as aftershocks shuddered through them both, her inner walls clasping weakly around Azula’s knot and shaft as the alpha continued to spill the last gentle spurts of come she had in her.  _ Oh spirits...I don’t think I’ve ever felt this drained. If this went on for much longer, I think she might have killed me.  _

But she kept those thoughts to herself. When Ty Lee’s eyes fluttered open, Azula’s met them, and she gave her mate a warm smile, caressing her tear-streaked cheek. To her surprise, Ty Lee was the first to find her voice. “Well, how does it feel to know you’re going to be a sire again?” 

Azula felt a lump rise in her throat, and swallowed it back ferociously, suddenly conscious of her position in full view of the Fire Nation’s adult population. Although from what she could see out of the corners of her eyes, most of them didn’t appear to be paying much attention. While the Fire Lord and her chosen partner were expected to kick off the festivities, they weren’t the only participants of this fertility festival—as she was abruptly reminded by seeing entirely too much of Counselor Bo’s unclothed bulk. Making a face, she turned her attention back to Ty Lee. 

“Wonderful,” she said honestly, her eyes watering with emotion, “if a bit unexpected.” She kissed the beginnings of a smile at the corner of her mate’s mouth before continuing in her usual drawl, “I’m sure my advisers will be glad that we’ve done our duty for the Fire Nation.” 

Ty Lee rolled her eyes. “They’d better be. After all of this is over, I don’t think they can expect you to do anything particularly strenuous for the Fire Nation for a good long time.” Leaning up as best she could, she murmured in Azula’s ear, “After all, I’m going to be carrying your pups. So your highest duty should be to your mate.” 

She punctuated her final words with a deliberate squeeze around Azula’s knot, startling a groan out of the alpha. Azula pulled back to glare warningly at Ty Lee, but it held no heat, and the omega’s twinkling grin told her Ty Lee knew it. Allowing her dark look to dissolve into one of lust, Azula leaned back as best she could with the tie, gaining as much leverage as possible before beginning to rut into Ty Lee again. Her shallow, firm thrusts had Ty Lee gasping in short order. Smirk widening, Azula took the opportunity to run her hands over the gentle swell of her mate’s belly, enjoying how it shivered under her touch. 

“You’re absolutely right,” she purred, reveling in the look of renewed desire on Ty Lee’s face. “But just for good measure, I think we should make sure this sticks.” 

* * *

When Ty Lee woke, it was to warm, sticky sheets, the weight of Azula's arm around her waist, and very familiar whispers. They weren't, however, coming from her mate. Azula was still slumbering peacefully beside her, snoring lightly with her cheek smushed against the pillow.

Ty Lee pressed a kiss to her temple, the side with the scar, and gently eased herself out of Azula's arms. She had a lot of practice at escaping her mate's embrace without waking her, but it still took all of her skill—plus, her limbs were sore and exhausted. She and Azula had spent the past three days locked in their room, riding out the rest of her heat together.

"Do you think Mama's awake?" a small voice said from some distance away.

"No. I can hear snoring."

"That's Father. Mama snores louder."

Ty Lee smirked to herself as she left the bed and went in search of a robe. It she didn't miss her guess, her pups were crouched on the other side of the bedroom door, tiny ears pressed against the crack. Instinctively, she draped an arm across her flat stomach. It was far too soon to tell them that they would very likely be getting several new brothers and sisters soon, but the thought made her smile anyway.

"Get away from there, you three," said yet another familiar voice, lower and deeper. "Your parents need rest."

"But we haven't seen them in forever! I miss them."

At Zha Xi's loud whine, Ty Lee glanced over at Azula. Thankfully, her mate didn't wake up. She was still dead to the world, and Ty Lee couldn't help feeling responsible for her mate's exhaustion.

She hurried to slip on a pink robe and hurried toward the door, fastening the knot around her waist. The sooner she went to soothe her pups, the more likely Azula was to keep slumbering.

When she slid the doors open, three little bodies jumped backwards, looking up at her guiltily. That didn't stop Izumi, however, from latching onto her leg and giving it a tight hug. "Mama. Where's Father?"

"Sleeping," Ty Lee whispered, maneuvering herself through the door despite her pup's attempts at trying to peer around her hip. Once the bedroom was safely sealed off, she dropped to her knees, opening her arms so all three of her children could hug her.

"Mama," Zha Xi said, flinging her small arms around Ty Lee's neck. "You were gone so long."

"Only for three days," Taizo replied. Even he seemed glad to see her as he tucked himself into her side. "Mama only goes into heat for about three days every four months. So that's three days where she doesn't see us and eighty-eight days when...."

Ty Lee tuned her son out, peering up curiously at Zuko. He was hanging back by the couch, but when Ty Lee's gaze landed on him, he held up his hands defensively. "Hey, I didn't tell him! The boy likes to read."

"Your father and I need to have a special conversation with you and your sisters soon, I see," Ty Lee said to Taizo, more amused than upset. "And thank you, Zuko. I didn't mean for you to get stuck on babysitting duty for this long. It...happened."

"No offense, Ty Lee, but I don't really need or want to know the details."

Ty Lee just chuckled at the blush coloring her brother-in-law’s usually pale cheekbones before turning back to her children, who were clamoring—again—to see their sire. “You need to keep quiet, or Father’s going to be very upset,” Ty Lee said, over Izumi and Zha Xi’s increasingly strident objections. “She’s had a very tiring last couple of days.”

Zha Xi looked up at her curiously. “What do you mean, Mama?” 

Now it was Ty Lee’s turn to blush. “Well, it’s been very stressful, organizing the festival and making sure everything goes well…”

“But the festival ended two days ago,” Izumi said, a suspicious look creeping over her face. “And you and Father have just been in bed the rest of the time. You should have had plenty of time to sleep, right?” 

Feeling all of a sudden like her four-year-old had backed her into a corner, Ty Lee turned a panicked look on Zuko—only to find that he had already made his exit.  _ Oh spirits, I hadn’t planned on having this conversation for a good long while, but maybe it won’t be too bad…  _ One look at Taizo’s increasingly interested face told her that she was probably wrong. 

“What’s all this noise? Are you harassing your mother?” 

Clad in a rich red robe, Azula emerged from their room; her words ended on a yawn, and the stiff way she moved told Ty Lee that she was still feeling their activities over the last few days. The affection in Ty Lee’s heart swelled just a bit more at the sleepy look on her mate’s face as she stooped to gather all of their children into a hug, rubbing noses with each of them as they clamored to tell her everything they’d been up to over their time apart. Ty Lee could feel tears starting in her eyes as she watched her family and thought of how it was soon to grow a bit more. She brushed them away, not wanting her children to worry, but she was so replete with pride and happiness that she felt she could almost burst from it. 

Ty Lee didn’t realize that one hand had come up to unconsciously rub her own still-flat stomach until Azula had looked up, her eyes zeroing in on it. Her lips turned up in a proud smirk as she rose and sauntered over to Ty Lee, but the omega could read the affection in her mate’s scent and knew that she must be feeling similarly. “Have you told them yet?” Azula murmured under the cover of their children’s clamoring, slinging an arm around Ty Lee’s waist and pressing a kiss to her temple.

“Not yet,” Ty Lee whispered back, leaning into her mate’s embrace. “Soon, though.”

Azula seemed to agree, if the rumbling purr Ty Lee could feel starting up in the alpha’s chest was any indication. She was excited to tell their children about the future new additions to their family, but for this one perfect moment in time, she wanted to enjoy things the way they were.


End file.
